Visit to Taiwan highlights opportunities to apply UC Berkeley research to urban mobility, public safety and environmental sustainability.
Alexandre Bayen, director of CITRIS and the Banatao Institute at UC Berkeley, visited Taoyuan City, Taiwan, on November 9 to meet with Mayor San-Cheng Chang and municipal leaders and discuss opportunities to apply emerging technologies to pressing urban challenges.
The visit, which included an event at the Taoyuan Public Library, highlighted Taoyuan City’s interest in supporting research and innovation that could improve public services and residents’ quality of life.
Discussions centered on four potential areas of research drawing on UC Berkeley expertise:
- Transit safety: Kenichi Soga’s research on digital twins could help improve crowd management at busy metro stations.
- Traffic management: Maria Laura Delle Monache and Alexandre Bayen’s work in transportation modeling and AI could help cities better understand congestion and manage traffic networks.
- Air quality: Cesunica Ivey’s research in environmental monitoring and atmospheric modeling could support efforts to identify pollution sources and improve air quality.
- Intersection safety: Francois Dion and Alexandre Bayen’s work with traffic simulations could help evaluate approaches to improving pedestrian and roadway safety.
The visit also provided an opportunity to learn about Taoyuan’s existing smart city initiatives, including intelligent traffic management, emergency vehicle routing and environmental monitoring.
CITRIS and the Banatao Institute is grateful for Taoyuan City’s interest in advancing research and innovation that addresses societal challenges and helps communities thrive.