Smart Mobility

Report cover for Innovation Districts in Buffalo.

The following report on the applicability of various smart mobilities for the Buffalo-Niagara region is a synthesis of the full findings produced by the spring 2019 Masters of Urban Planning Studio Practicum led by Professor Bumjoon Kang, PhD in collaboration with the Greater Buffalo-Niagara Regional Transportation Council (GBNRTC). The emerging technologies that are quickly transforming the transportation systems of cities worldwide are considered in this report in an effort to present local transportation planning professionals with a framework for implementing these technologies in the Buffalo-Niagara region. 

Faculty

Bumjoon Kang, PhD

Term

Spring 2019

Program

Master of Urban Planning

Building off of the vision put forth in the Greater Buffalo Niagara Regional Transportation Council's Moving Forward 2050 Plan, this report began by investigating case studies of smart mobility plans across selected domestic and international examples. Transportation challenges related to varying levels of density in rural, suburban & urban areas were also explored. 

Opportunities for implementing shared mobility technologies to augment public transit, including ride-hailing and micro mobility options were further analyzed, with physical design features of large-scale mobility hubs for three urban sites proposed. Small-scale mobility hub designs were offered for areas of lower densities. Private sector funding and partnership opportunities are also reviewed in the report.