Story and Photographs by Stephanie Santos
On Friday, April 24, 2026, UCI Institute of Transportation Studies (ITS-Irvine) hosted a rapid-fire research summit. The event was the inaugural Mobility Partnership meeting, where ITS-Irvine researchers and key transportation stakeholders came together to align research with real-world priorities. Leading the event were newly appointed ITS-Irvine Director Jean-Daniel Saphores, and ITS-Irvine faculty Sarah Catz.
Faculty, researchers, and students affiliated with ITS-Irvine and representatives from the Orange County Transportation Authority, Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), the Riverside County Transportation Commission, San Bernardino County Transportation Authority and the Transportation Corridor Agencies – were in attendance including Executive Director at the Southern California Association of Governments Kome Ajise and Deputy Chief Executive Officer at the Orange County Transportation Authority Jennifer Bergener. Also participating were representatives from the Offices of Congressman Dave Min, State Senator Catherine Blakespear, Assembly Member Cottie Petrie- Norris and Irvine Mayor Larry Agran.
ITS-Irvine faculty presented their research through a rapid-fire system, with each speaker having one minute to present before answering questions from stakeholders.
Douglas Houston, Associate Professor of Urban Planning and Public Policy at UC Irvine’s School of Social Ecology. Houston presented his research on infrastructure equity, which includes examining resident perceptions of neighborhood change related to major projects like the OC Streetcar. Houston explains, “So we [Houston’s research team] look at where the projects are, are they going to be addressing historic inequalities and the process? How are the decisions made, and were community groups involved in that process?”
Community wellbeing was a common focus among ITS-Irvine research projects. Research conducted by Dr. Jun Wu, professor at Wen School of Population and Public Health, uses deep learning and satellite imagery to detect heavy-duty trucks and map their impact on disadvantaged communities near the Ports of LA and Long Beach.
Elijaah Knaap, Assistant Professor in Urban Planning and Public Policy at UCI School of Social Ecology, presented his research involving analyzing the social and economic consequences of ICE raids and subsequent protests in the Los Angeles region.
Knaap explains, “We want to understand the chilling effect of these law enforcement activities, and whether people were willing to leave their houses and go and spend money and participate in the economy throughout the region.”
ITS-Irvine students were also given the opportunity to share their research before and after the event as attendees networked. Posters summarizing research done by these emerging scholars were displayed around the room.
Once all faculty members finished presenting their research, an interactive discussion where stakeholders could share their priorities and concerns was held. Priorities and concerns mainly related to housing, land use, vehicle miles traveled (VMT) as a core transportation metric, and infrastructure. Despite the many concerns voiced, though, there is a positive path to be seen. Ajise states, “[We] live in probably one of the most fun, economically vital regions on the planet… We’re seeing incredible potential.”
The Mobility Partnership meeting will be a recurring event to continue aligning research and real-world issues to capitalize on that exponential potential and shape the future of transportation and our communities.