Study Finds Syracuse Has Good Potential for Transportation Alternatives

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The findings of a year long study-FAST: Syracuse were presented at a public exhibition held at SyracuseCoE. The study identified multiple opportunities to promote adoption of multi-modal, sustainable transportation alternatives in the City of Syracuse. The feasibility of three urban mobility systems was evaluated by this study.

  1. Human-Powered Mobility through enhancing walkability and bikeability in strategically targeted areas
  2. Sharing Economy in the form of sharing of bikes and electric vehicles
  3. Public Transportation through better integration with existing regional services

A brief overview of the results and recommendations were presented by Dr. Tarek Rakha, assistant professor of architecture at Syracuse University, who led the team that performed the study. The presentation was followed by an exhibition of the findings, including public engagement for feedback and assimilation of commentary in the final report.

Dr. Rakha spoke to Chris Bolt about the study findings before the exhibition: Syracuse Center of Excellence Finds Untapped Potential for Sustainable Transit in Syracuse

The study, which was funded in part by NYSERDA and NYSDOT, was conducted by a multidisciplinary team of students, faculty, staff members and professionals, including individuals from Syracuse University’s School of Architecture, College of Engineering and Computer Science, SyracuseCoE, Barton & Loguidice (B&L), Clean Communities of Central NY, Downtown Committee of Syracuse, and Hitachi Consulting. Project advisors included Syracuse Metropolitan Transportation Council (SMTC), CENTRO, Central New York Regional Planning and Development Board, and the City of Syracuse.

PRESENTER:

Dr. Tarek Rakha is an architect, building scientist and educator. He directs the Performative Praxis Lab (PPL), a Syracuse Architecture research lab housed at the SyracuseCoE. PPL aims to influence sustainable practices in architecture and urban design by leading innovative research in three fields: sustainable mobility and outdoor comfort, daylighting and energy in buildings, and the use of drones in building performance inspection. Dr. Rakha is Principal Investigator on multiple externally funded projects, including FAST: Syracuse, funded by NYSERDA and NYSDOT, Daylighting for Cognition, funded by SageGlass, and Heat Mapping Drones, funded by the Upstate Revitalization Initiative. Prior to joining Syracuse University, he completed his PhD in building technology at MIT, where he was an instructor and part of the Sustainable Design Lab as a member of the developing team for umi, the urban modeling and simulation platform. His research was published in peer reviewed journals, such as Solar Energy and the Journal of the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America LEUKOS, as well as in numerous conference proceedings including Building Simulation and PLEA. He was also an invited speaker and critic by a variety of organizations and academic institutions including TEDxCairo, Harvard University and the American University of Beirut.

“So, if the public are not aware of what sustainable transportation means for their lives and their kids’ lives and their grandkids’ lives and for living in the United States in general then we might go in a path that is going to be favoring automobiles rather than people.” – Dr. Tarek RakhaDr. Tarek Rakha
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”11127″ img_size=”550×400″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]The students who worked on the project are:

Current Research Interns:

Christian Martinez, MArch (Alumni)

Michaela Wozniak, BArch and Geography Student

Previous Interns (2016-2017): 

Maria Coconato, BArch Student，  Elise Chelak, BArch Student

Deena Darby, BArch Student，  Anuradha Desai, BArch Student

Rutuja Ganoo, BArch Student，  Alice Gorodetsky, BArch Student

Ruting Li, MArch Student，  Stephanie Portmann, BArch Student

Pouya Zhand, MArch (Alumni)

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_gallery interval=”3″ images=”11121,11122,11123,11124,11126,11125″ img_size=”550×400″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_gallery interval=”3″ images=”11120,11119,11118,11117,11116,11115″ img_size=”550×400″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://youtu.be/34cm3XjeZRQ” el_width=”70″ align=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Syracuse Center of Excellence Finds Untapped Potential for Sustainable Transit in Syracuse. Find more information in this interview.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://youtu.be/zLfL_BowF3c” el_width=”70″ align=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

To find more about interview, please visit http://waer.org/post/syracuse-center-excellence-finds-untapped-potential-sustainable-transit-syracuse.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

 

Research & Technology Forum Series

SyracuseCoE offers regularly scheduled forums and networking showcasing innovative research, technologies and other opportunities of interest to stakeholders and community members. Past topics have included groundbreaking industry projects to modernize the HVAC systems at the Sistine Chapel, workshops to help state agencies develop funding priorities, and research on the impact of “green” buildings on cognitive function. To receive notice of these events, sign up for email updates at the “Join our mailing list” tab at the bottom right corner of the website. Visit the Research & Technology Forum page to see the archive.
Print 🖨 PDF 📄