Institute of Transportation Studies at UC Berkeley

This report assesses underutilized land parcels in the San Francisco Bay Area to identify opportunities for housing development aligned with California’s climate, transportation, and equity goals. The research focuses specifically on parcels situated within areas that are characterized by reduced automobile dependency due to proximity to transit, jobs, and amenities. Using geographic information systems (GIS), historical housing data, parcel valuation metrics, zoning analysis, and scenario modelling, the report categorizes parcels into three forms of underutilization: vacant parcels, parcels with low improvement-to-land value ratios, and parcels with minimal built coverage (below 25%). It also evaluates the effectiveness of current zoning regulations and examines housing allocation patterns in the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) process. There is substantial theoretical capacity for housing production in low-VMT zones; constraints such as regulatory complexities, redevelopment costs, methodological inconsistencies in defining low-VMT areas, and fragmented parcel ownership significantly limit development potential. The report shows stark trade-offs between strict environmental and equity-based criteria and feasible housing outcomes. There is a critical need for targeted zoning reforms, standardized VMT measurement methodologies, streamlined regulatory frameworks, and proactive investment strategies to unlock the latent potential of underutilized parcels.

This study investigates first- and last-mile connectivity to existing segments of the San Francisco Bay Trail (SFBT) in historically underserved Bay Area communities, with a detailed case study in Richmond, California. Although 70 percent of the 350-mile trail network is complete, physical barriers, freeways, freight rail lines, industrial zones, and insufficient pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure prevent low-income and minority neighborhoods from accessing the trail safely and directly. Employing a mixed-methods framework, a comprehensive literature review was first conducted to synthesize evidence on greenway benefits and equity frameworks. A regional GIS analysis was then performed to identify spatial disconnects between trail alignments and MTC Equity Priority Communities and BCDC Communities of Concern. Stakeholder interviews and community feedback from the MTC’s Bay Trail Equity Strategy Initiative were also synthesized. Six connector corridors in Richmond were subsequently selected for standardized field audits, which scored sidewalk continuity, bicycle facilities, crossing conditions, signage, lighting, and land-use context at both segment and intersection scales.Findings reveal pervasive “hostile edge” conditions, high-speed traffic without buffers, missing or narrow sidewalks, under-designed crossings, blank industrial frontages, fragmented bike lanes, and absent wayfinding, that disproportionately impact low-resource areas. Based on these insights, a phased toolkit of interventions was developed, spanning immediate low-cost measures, mid-term infrastructure upgrades, and long-term investments, to guide agencies in advancing equitable trail access across the Bay Area.

This report presents lessons learned and tools for engaging youth in transportation planning in Oakland, California. Youth are disenfranchised from the transportation planning process, although their mobility is more affected than adults’ mobility by the quality of transportation networks, and, as a result, they have unique expertise that is valuable to transportation planning. In addition to giving planners access to youth expertise, engaging with youth presents an opportunity for the Oakland Department of Transportation (OakDOT) to build mutually beneficial relationships, civic capacity, and trust between city government and the next generation. The report is in three parts. First, I analyze observations of an in-person community design workshop and several online engagement methods for a transportation planning project in a disinvested neighborhood. I find that the methods observed, when employed on their own, are incongruous with OakDOT’s goals to build trust and a shared mobility agenda among Oakland’s communities because they don’t foster an impactful dialogue about transportation and related neighborhood concerns. Second, I distill key findings from seven semi-structured interviews with practitioners of youth civic engagement and two focus groups with a youth transportation advisory board and a civic youth commission. I summarize 12 key findings in four categories: universally applicable learnings, engaging youth in school curriculum, working with community partners, and youth advisory boards and commissions. Third, I develop two youth engagement tools to be incorporated into OakDOT’s standard operating procedure for community outreach: a matrix of 12 youth engagement strategies, and a template for planning youth engagement strategies.

As Berkeley's population ages-with those aged 60+ projected to comprise nearly 20% of residents by 203O-there is an opportunity to design public spaces that foster meaningful connections across generations. This study examines how parks and sidewalks can be an integrated public-space network that supports interactions between elders and other generations. Guided by the main research question: What features of public space support intergenerational interaction? And three guiding questions: How do elders currently use public space? What are the best practices of public space design for fostering intergenerational interactions? How can public space be enhanced to better support intergenerational interactions? The research employs a mixed-methods approach. Primary data includes systematic observations at three parks (Ohlone, Grove, Strawberry Creek) across varied times and days; intercept interviews with elders in the parks; and six wallking interviews. These were complemented by precedent case studies of real projects and design toolkits. Findings reveal that elders use Berkeley's parks steadily throughout the day and week, while children and working-age adults appear in sharper peaks. Meaningful cross-age encounters are most likely when older adults linger-something encouraged by safe, well-paved approaches, places to sit, varied and sensory environments, dog-friendly areas, and play or fitness amenities that invite joint participation. Physical barriers on sidewalks, lack of pause points, and traffic noise suppress those encounters. Based on these insights, eight design elements are proposed-Rhythms, Safety, Pause Nodes, Age-Neutral Spaces, Sensory Experience, Shared Play, Health & Fitness, and Social Activation-each illustrated with targeted strategies and case studies. These recommendations aim to guide planners, designers, and community organization in creating built environments that invite intergenerational interaction for everyone.

In an era of urgent climate action and housing crises across California, parking policy has emerged as a powerful lever for transforming cities. While pricing parking is widely recognized by transportation experts as an effective tool for managing urban space and reducing vehicle emissions, implementing such policies remains politically challenging.

The stakes of resolving parking policy deadlocks extend far beyond local politics. Unpriced on-street parking in high demand areas creates a cascade of significant negative externalities: drivers waste time circling, traffic and pollution increases, and drivers are disincentivized from shifting travel modes.

My research uses a combination of both primary data (interview) and secondary data (archival text) to investigate a revealing case study: the protracted seven-year debate over a 2013 proposal to implement paid downtown parking in Davis, California. Why did Davis’s paid parking initiative fail despite strong evidence supporting its benefits? And what policy design and political strategy lessons can we learn from this case to make paid parking policy implementation more feasible in other medium-sized cities?

This study yields actionable recommendations for other cities seeking to implement paid on-street parking, including: the importance of capitalizing on momentum once paid parking is proposed, the need for elected officials to demonstrate political courage, the value of having multiple champions both inside and outside of government, the beneficial role of public education, and the impact of strong policy implementation. My research findings provide a roadmap for local governments to increase the efficiency of their transportation systems and advance California’s broader climate objectives while navigating the complex dynamics that often derail initiatives to price parking.

This study assesses the impact of high-speed rail on accessibility to employment and educational opportunities for the census tracts in the California Central Valley. The accessibility is assessed for driving only mode and transit only mode for the baseline scenario and driving plus HSR mode and transit plus HSR mode for the scenario after HSR start operation. We plot the accessibility distribution for census tracts and calculate the spatial equality index of accessibility distribution to compare the accessibility before and after HSR starts operation, as well as the accessibility for communities of concern (CoCs). Our findings include multiple aspects. Most importantly, we find that HSR yields the greatest accessibility gains to the most vulnerable communities, which we term CoC Level 2 and Level 3 communities. This improvement is attained for both employment and education accessibility, and whether HSR access/egress is by driving or transit. Second, it is also the case that vulnerable communities have higher baseline accessibilities as a result of being located in urban areas. Third, HSR accessibility gains are restricted to higher travel time thresholds, generally 60 min or greater. Fourth, driving mode has consistently higher accessibility as well as accessibility improvement due to HSR than transit mode. Fifth, while the accessibility improvement brought by HSR is highly spatially uneven, HSR slightly equalizes the distribution of accessibility across census tracts under the driving + HSR scenario.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced transit agencies to quickly adapt to new challenges, with service reductions as part of the response to reduced ridership, rising fiscal pressures, and staffing shortages. However, approaches to service adjustment varied significantly across agencies. While pandemic research often focuses on ridership impacts, less attention has been given to how transit service changes affected accessibility and equity. This study examines the impacts of pandemic service adjustments made by three major San Francisco Bay Area transit agencies on accessibility and equity, which is important to address given the absence of formal requirements for equity evaluation of temporary service changes. Using publicly available transit schedule and census data, metrics for transit service levels, job accessibility, and accessibility inequality were developed and used to trace changes from 2020 to 2023. The findings reveal distinct approaches to service reduction and restoration, with agencies prioritizing service differently based on travel needs and racial/ethnic minority populations. While equity briefly improved for some agencies during thepandemic, these changes were temporary, with all agencies returning to their pre-pandemic states of inequity. These insights can guide transit agencies in developing equitable service adjustment strategies and highlight the need for decision-making tools to help transit operators balance competing needs and respond flexibly to disruptions.

Bicycle level of service (BLOS) is an essential performance measure for transportation agencies to monitor and prioritize improvements to infrastructure, but existing measures do not capture the nuance of facility differences on the state highway system. However, with the advancements in virtual reality (VR) technology, a VR bicycle simulator is an ideal tool to safely gather user feedback on a variety of bicycling environments and conditions. This research explored the benefits and limitations of using a VR environment to assess individuals’ bike infrastructure preferences. We conducted a bicyclist user experience survey in person on SafeTREC’s VR bicycle simulator and online and compared the results. The online survey consisted of showing participants pairs of VR videos of biking scenarios and asking them to choose the one that they preferred. To validate the online survey responses, we conducted in-person experiments with a VR bike simulator using the same pairs of videos. Our analysis indicates that 63 percent of the responses were consistent while a smaller percentage of responses (37 percent) changed after the simulator ride due to better perception provided by the simulator virtual environment. The outcome of this study helped to validate the online survey responses of the study.

In California, transportation plays a key role in community college access because many community college districts have satellite campuses, have limited transportation options, and tend to not have on-campus housing. To better understand the mobility challenges students face accessing community colleges and provide potential policy strategies to overcome these challenges, the researchers interviewed local transportation agencies, community college administrators, and students at five California community colleges between September 2022 and October 2023. Participants were asked about available transportation options for community college students, typical student travel patterns, and the resources needed to support improved community college transportation access. Small group discussions with students focused on student travel patterns, mobility challenges, and opinions on potential strategies to improve access. In addition, we reviewed state legislation on student transportation to understand current and past policy attempts to address community college transportation challenges. Together, the findings inform a set of policy options, such as student transit passes, public transit enhancements aimed at meeting the needs of students, and transportation pilot programs.

The aviation sector in California is facing increased pressure to reduce its carbon footprint, leading to a growing interest in alternative fuel aviation (AFA) technologies such as sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), as well as electric- and hydrogen- powered aircraft. The report develops a California Aviation Energy Model (CAVEM), examining various AFA technologies and analyzing possible policy options. The analysis emphasizes the importance of SAF in the short term, with projections indicating sufficient supply for intrastate flights and capped vegetable oil-based fuel consumption. Long-term efforts are focused on electric and hydrogen-powered aircraft, which remain in the early stages of development. Electrification of intrastate flights is deemed feasible, with estimated electricity consumption amounting to a small percentage of overall electricity generation. The report highlights the necessity for additional policy incentives (such as tax exemptions) and a comprehensive policy framework to effectively promote sustainable aviation in the long run.