Katia Obraczka, campus director of CITRIS at UC Santa Cruz and professor of computer science and engineering at UC Santa Cruz, and Ricardo Sanfelice, director of CITRIS Aviation and professor and chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, are teaming up with colleague Carlos Martinez to improve public transportation use by developing scheduling systems that decrease the average commuter’s wait time and reduce commuter traffic.
In the face of the Bay Area housing crisis, many families are moving further away from their jobs and trading longer commutes for more affordable housing. The phenomenon, known as jobs-housing spatial mismatch, is creating problems such as increased traffic congestion and unmet public transportation demands.
To mediate jobs-housing spatial mismatch, the researchers are developing scheduling systems, or smart schedulers, that recommend tailored routes and take other commuters’ needs into account.
“Traffic congestion and inefficient public transportation is definitely a very, very important problem to solve,” Sanfelice said. “How can we force the future redesign and expansion of urban cities? That is very important for urban planners, and I believe that they will be very willing to listen about how to do it efficiently and equitably.”