Melissa Bruntlett

Melissa is the director of Modacity Creative and a leader in storytelling, advocacy, and strategic advice for more inclusive spaces for walking, cycling, and social connection. With over 15 years experience working in communications, engagement, and strategic advising for sustainable mobility, she uses the power of a strong narrative to shift to more equitable and healthy communities. 

As a Dutch-Canadian with lived experience in Canada and The Netherlands and working globally, Melissa excels at translating international best practices to local contexts. She believes the potential to learn from each other is immense. Sharing the stories of success, lessons learned, and how to adapt and evolve these ideas is a positive step towards the most of us enjoying spaces that improve our mental, physical, social, and financial well-being.

As co-author of the books Building the Cycling City, Curbing Traffic, and Women Changing Cities: Global Stories of Urban Transformation, alongside public speaking, content creation, and communications projects, Melissa emphasizes the human stories that underpin innovation and change. She focuses on fostering understanding of how a just mobility transition starts with empathy, recognising people’s diverse transport needs.

Melissa works with public, private, and NGO partners providing strategic advice on how mobility policy, planning, and design can be more responsive to the communities. Her approach challenges professionals to view the world from other perspectives and with humility, recognising we may not always have all the answers, and co-creative and collaboration can often unleash the greatest potential for success.

Behaviour change is only possible when we first understand what influences people’s mobility choices, and the better decision-makers, designers, and policy-makers can recognise this, the more equitable the solutions we create will be.