November 4, 2024

Two Master of City and Regional Planning (MCRP) students received Dwight D. Eisenhower Transportation Fellowships recognizing innovative, ongoing transportation research.

"The Dwight David Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship is a highly respected award in the field of transportation, given to students who show real promise in advancing the field," said Gulsah Akar, chair of the School of City and Regional Planning. "This fellowship is part of a national effort to support bright, dedicated individuals who will lead the future of transportation in areas like infrastructure, planning, safety, and sustainability. It is truly an incredible opportunity.”

Focusing on different parts of the world, both students are looking at transportation approaches to expanding access for underserved communities.

"Essentially, I am looking to improve transportation equity in Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) communities, specifically in Hawaiʻi," said Dylan Apelu, a second-year MCRP student. "My research employs Talanoa, a culturally significant, dialogue-based Pasefika method, to foster open discussions with NHPI communities and empower them to address transportation issues."

"This past summer, the Talanoa I conducted surfaced concerns regarding accessibility. It also revealed systematic barriers to implementing improvements and lack of community involvement in planning decisions," Apelu said. "The next phase is to continue holding Talanoa and other cultural-based planning activities to produce alternative improvements designed by the community and fitting the culture and rural identity of Koʻolau Loa."

"Although this research caters to NHPI and the Ko'olau Loa District of Oahu, the methods and frameworks can be used anywhere for planning for underrepresented communities."

Vince Parisi, an MCRP student in his first year, is figuring out whether something like Atlanta's Beltline, along with lessons learned from its implementation, can be brought to Chicago.

"There's a network of curvilinear parks through the South and West Side of Chicago that go up into the north side. I got this idea of learning from Atlanta's Beltline, as a ring of green space that connects the city, and applying it to Chicago through these parks," Parisi said. "But I want to highlight that it's very much an in-process idea. I don't want to rush to recommend that this is the approach Chicago should do. We need to understand how it would affect the city first."

"I think it could provide really great opportunities to improve connectivity, access to jobs, recreational activities, and social activities primarily through the building of a transportation network that reduces the dependency on cars. But I want to have a particular focus on how to reduce displacement because as we've seen on the east side part of the Beltline Trail, a lot of those originally black neighborhoods are becoming primarily white neighborhoods."

"I am very excited that two of our master’s students have received the Dwight David Eisenhower Graduate Fellowships," Akar said. "This award is a great honor and reflects their dedication and talent in the field of transportation. It’s a big step forward for their future careers, and we can’t wait to see all the amazing things they’ll accomplish."

"As part of this program, both students will present their research at Transportation Research Board’s (TRB) Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., in January 2025."

Both students found Georgia Tech's School of City and Regional Planning particularly well-suited for their work.

"When I first began my education and career, I realized that in creating a sustainable community there was a technical side as well as a political and planning component," Apelu said. "I wanted to understand all perspectives and gain the necessary knowledge to be able to provide sustainable solutions to communities around the world."

"Georgia Tech is one of the few schools that offers a dual master's degree in Civil Engineering (MSCE) and City and Regional Planning, and Tech excels in both programs. Additionally, I collaborated with Dr. Elora Raymond because of her efforts as a Pasefika scholar to conduct research in Pacific Islander communities."

For Parisi, the Beltline's origin as a student project in the School made the MCRP program a natural fit for his work. "I think because the Beltline came from Georgia Tech, it makes a lot of sense. And I think a lot of the past foundations that have been laid in this program inspired this idea in the first place, like the  teaching of my history professors that really went in depth about why green space was such a focus in American cities," Parisi said.

"Building on that, I think there's a really diverse set of professors at Georgia Tech," he said. "I'll have the guidance for quantitative transportation analysis from my advisor, but I think because of all the resources available, I'll be able to get input from professors with expertise in housing and in community development."

"It will help me make it a more holistic research opportunity rather than just focusing on transportation. Because the Beltline is transportation, but it's much more than transportation."