Public Transit
  The research in this area focuses on 1) new pattern of transit development as related to patterns of urban development; 2) transit safety; 3) transit management, infrastructure, and design; 4) bus transit system; and 5) optimizing transit as an integrated part of multi-modal transportation system.
Capitalization of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Network Effects into Land Prices
  Daniel Rodriguez, PI. Despite several successful cases in which BRT has been a cornerstone of an integrated transportation and land use strategy, there is a paucity of empirical evidence regarding the relationship between BRT investment and changes in land values. This research will apply a generalized before-and-after evaluation using spatial hedonic price functions to determine whether the (indirect) network effects of BRT system extensions are capitalized onto land values of properties already served by BRT; and to determine whether properties previously not served by BRT but now served by a BRT extension capitalize these (direct) benefits into land values. This research is funded by the Lincoln Land Institute.
Cuenca Urban Transport Patterns and User Profile
 Brian Morton, PI. The goals of this study are first, to create a policy framework for identifying and evaluating transit system improvements in Cuenca, with a particular emphasis on the disadvantaged groups in the rural parishes closest to the metropolitan area, and second, to recommend changes that would enhance Cuenca’s public transit system. We are specifically interested in the poor, women, the elderly, and children. The methods we employed include spatial analyses using GIS, statistical analyses, interviews with bus riders and municipal officials, and field work in Cuenca, rural parishes, and in an adjacent canton. This research is funded by the World Bank.
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