Shubhayan Ukil, a Ph.D. candidate in urban and regional planning, has been awarded the Patricia F. Waller Scholarship from the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI). The scholarship is available to students completing a thesis, dissertation, or special project on the human aspect of transportation policy or practice. It honors Walker, who served as Director of UMTRI in the 1990s and was recognized as a leading research scientist and advocate for policy reform in transportation safety.

Ukil’s research will examine how the shift to shared mobility and micro-mobility travel modes impacts destination choices across different demographic/socioeconomic groups and its equity implications by shifting the focus from the mobility benefits of shared mobility services to its ability to improve destination choices. Taking a comparative approach using the case studies of Chicago and Bengaluru, India, the study intends to bring out the differences in the role shared mobility services play in cities of developed vs. developing nations to influence non-work and residential destination choices, respectively. The study will help decision-makers to guide funding/financing, and planning of shared mobility services with destination-oriented outcomes, rather than strictly on mobility improvements.