Three UNC-Chapel Hill Department of City and Regional Planning students were awarded the 2018 Dwight David Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship through the U.S. DOT’s Federal Highway Administration. This prestigious grant enables the brightest minds in the sector to pursue innovative changes in transportation. Learn more about their research proposals below.
Sarah Johnson, Master’s Candidate in Landscape Architecture at NC State University and recently 
awarded her Master’s in City and Regional Planning from DCRP in December 2018
Research Summary: As public agencies seek intersectional solutions to complex problems and as communities place equity and green infrastructure requirements on transportation projects, there is a growing opportunity to implement innovative streetscape designs that improve health through equitable distribution of green and complete streets. Through the Eisenhower Fellowship, I will explore best practices for advancing transportation equity and health through green infrastructure.
From Sarah:
“I am thankful the Eisenhower is giving me the opportunity to take a deep dive into the connections between my two disciplines of transportation planning and landscape architecture.”
Lindsay Oluyede,PhD Candidate in City & Regional Planning
Research Summary: There are more transportation options than ever before. Transportation Demand Management (TDM) has primarily been implemented to address urban areas facing air quality issues and severe traffic congestion through programs and services to reduce drive-alone trips. Yet TDM programs could also help individuals in communities of varying sizes maximize their transportation choices available. My Eisenhower fellowship will enable me to work with Dr. Noreen McDonald to explore the potential for TDM to enhance public transit access, improve transportation affordability, and reduce commute times in large- and medium-sized metropolitan areas.
From Lindsay:
“I’m grateful to the Eisenhower program for supporting my research and providing the opportunity to connect with other transportation researchers.”
Mary Wolfe, PhD Candidate in City & Regional Planning
Research Summary: The DDETFP Fellowship supports my dissertation research, Transportation to Healthcare and the Rise of Shared Mobility, which evaluates transportation barriers to healthcare access and examines how ridehailing services are changing the way people travel to healthcare facilities.
From Mary:
“My Eisenhower-supported work specifically focuses on quantifying the number of Americans who delay medical treatment due to a transportation barrier. We know that millions of people lack transportation options to get them to and from necessary medical care, however, our best estimate of this statistic is from 2005. I am using nationally representative data through 2017 from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) to update our estimate of the number of people who delay medical care due to lack of transportation. I am also identifying risk factors to understand what types of people are more likely to be affected by this issue and what kinds of health issues are predominant among them. By updating this important statistic, transportation providers, healthcare providers, and policymakers in both domains will have a nationally representative estimate of people affected by transportation barriers to care, which should inform the solutions we explore.”
_________________________________________
Article by Tory Gibler, Transportation Planning Master’s Candidate 2020
Learn more about the Carolina Planning Transportation Program