Rafael Villarreal Pacheco, P.Eng., MCIP, RPP
Regional Planning Manager
City of Kelowna and Sustainable Transportation Partnership of the Central Okanagan
- Alma Mater: Los Andes University, Lund University and McGill University
- Fun Fact: Villarreal Pacheco is a part of a super hero club. His 3-year-old son says that Villarreal Pacheco is Spider-Man, the dog is Hulk and he is Batman.
- Favorite Book: "Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared Diamond
- Favorite TV Show: "Human Planet"
- Favorite Movie: "Life is Beautiful"
- Favorite Hobbies: Playing with his son, reading and studying, volunteering with animals, and outdoor activities
When Rafael Villarreal Pacheco was an engineering student at Los Andes University in Bogota, Columbia, he got a major opportunity that knocked and sprouted a career in mass transit.
Villarreal Pacheco was mentored by leaders of the Transmilenio project in Bogota and learned insights on transit while being part of one of the most recognizable bus rapid transit (BRT) systems in the world.
Villarreal Pacheco left Columbia for Sweden, where he studied at Lund University, then went to Montreal to complete his master’s degree work at McGill University.
He was eventually hired by St. Albert Transit in St. Albert, Alberta. Villarreal Pacheco found himself working at an agency still using a DOS computer system. He worked within the department to upgrade the system and bring modern technology to the agency, where it could now utilize modern tools like Google Transit.
Villarreal Pacheco moved on to Edmonton Transit where he worked on mobility permits and operational agreements with two transit systems.
In 2013, Villarreal Pacheco became regional planning manager for the city of Kelowna, British Columbia, and the Sustainable Transportation Partnership for the Central Okanagan. He led a household regional trip diary survey, updated the regional transportation model and also helped develop a data analytics system for transit and land-use information.
Villarreal Pacheco is leading the development for regional sustainable transportation guidelines, consolidation of the 2040 regional land-use projections and is the project manager for the Central Okanagan Regional Strategic Transportation Plan.
Villarreal Pacheco is also passionate about dog rescue after witnessing severe animal abuse in Columbia as a teen. He volunteers his time to help animal organizations and he also owns a 6-year-old three-legged dog rescued from northern Alberta.
“I think with the changes in personal mobility in the next 10 years, we will see public transportation evolving into something more complex. I even think suburban transit as we know today, it may disappear to become more of a ride share, while traditional transit will focus on the areas with supportive densities and land uses”
