UT Urban Information Lab

Abstract This paper investigates the COVID-19 transmission risk between different counties in the state of New York during the first month of the pandemic and makes contributions in two areas. First, using the publicly available COVID-19 case dataset in the state of New York, this study measures the COVID-19 outbreak… read more 

Abstract:This study investigates socioeconomic disparities in the early adoption of Electric Vehicles (EVs) in the United States and proposes a solution using a multiagent deep reinforcement learning-based policy simulator. Testing this model with data from Austin, Texas, reveals that neighborhoods with higher incomes and predominantly White demographics lead in EV… read more 

Abstract: This paper aims to investigate the following research questions: (1) what are the hourly patterns of heat index and heat-related emergency medical service (EMS) incidents during summertime?; and (2) how do the lagged effects of heat intensity and hourly excess heat (HEH) vary by heat-related symptoms? Using the hourly… read more 

Abstract: Due to the time-sensitive nature of heat-related illnesses, disparities in access to heat-related emergency medical services (EMS) services may contribute to urban health disparities. This paper is an empirical study utilizing Austin-Travis County EMS data to estimate the delays in response time due to traffic congestion through spatiotemporal analysis… read more 

Abstract Despite a growing body of research on the smart city framework for disaster resilience, a comprehensive systematic literature review from urban planning perspectives has never been attempted. In this review of smart and resilient cities, we distill vital learning and shared concepts, identify research trends and limitations, and suggest… read more 

Abstract Extreme heat exposure and sensitivity have been a growing concern in urban regions as the effects of extreme heat pose a threat to public health, the water supply, and the infrastructure. Heatrelated illnesses demand an immediate Emergency Medical Service (EMS) response since they might result in death or serious… read more 

ABSTRACT Fires and burning are the chief causes of particulate matter (PM2.5), a key measurement of air quality in communities and cities worldwide. This work develops a live fire tracking platform to show active reported fires from over twenty cities in the U.S., as well as predict their smoke paths… read more 

Abstract: Bike-sharing is rapidly gaining popularity due to health, transportation, and recreational benefits. As more people use bike-sharing, the burden of reallocating bikes will increase because of the mismatch between outgoing and incoming bikes. Optimizing truck routes, incentivizing users, and crowdsourcing are common suggestions to mitigate rebalancing issues. This research… read more 

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing restrictions have had a significant impact on urban mobility. As micro mobility offers less contact with other people, docked or dockless e-scooters and bike-sharing have emerged as alternative urban mobility solutions. However, little empirical research has been conducted to investigate how COVID-19 might… read more 

Abstract: Dockless electric scooter (E-scooters) services have emerged in the United States as an alternative form of micro transit in the past few years. With the increasing popularity of E-scooters, it is important for cities to manage their usage to create and maintain safe urban environments. However, E-scooter safety in… read more