Future of Work: Scenario Planning for COVID-19 Recovery

by | Nov 17, 2022 |

Authors: Alexandra Pan, Susan Shaheen, PhD Date: November 2022 Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic caused widespread lockdowns across the world in early 2020, with major implications to spatial and temporal commuting patterns as a result of increased work from home (also known as telework) activities. There has been a high degree of uncertainty on what work from home impacts will persist in the future. In this report, we first conduct a thorough review of news articles, published reports, and peer-reviewed literature to summarize telework trends. We also use scenario planning to bring together ten experts from academia, public sector, industry, and commercial real estate in two 1.5-hour long workshops to discuss the impacts of telework on transportation, housing, commercial real estate, and land use. View...

Mobility on Demand: State of the Industry Practitioner Census, Fall 2021

by | Sep 14, 2022 |

Authors: Susan Shaheen, Adam Cohen, Jacquelyn Broader Date: November 1, 2021 Abstract: The Transportation Sustainability Research Center (TSRC) at the University of California, Berkeley is pleased to present the results of the Mobility on Demand (MOD) State of the Industry Practitioner Census. The global pandemic has led to a challenging period for the transportation sector. Nevertheless, the industry has shown resilience and innovation. This industry outlook provides information on MOD and Mobility as a Service (MaaS) developments throughout the United States (U.S.) and highlights some industry changes in response to the pandemic. View...

Double the Trouble: A Playbook for COVID-19 and Evacuations

by | Apr 27, 2021 |

Authors: Stephen Wong, PhD, Jacquelyn Broader, Adam Cohen, Susan Shahen, PhD Date: February 1, 2021 Abstract: Evacuation and response plans require thoughtful strategies that build mandatory evacuation order compliance, reduce vehicular congestion, and increase social equity for disadvantaged populations. However, the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic coincided with a series of devastating disasters in 2020 that have required mass evacuations, leading to several new compounding effects (i.e., “double the trouble”). Strategies typically used in evacuations (e.g., high-capacity vehicles and public congregate shelters) and movements of people (e.g., evacuees, first responders, and volunteers) could increase the risk of COVID-19 spread and exposure. Moreover, disadvantaged populations who are already disproportionately impacted by disasters and COVID-19 separately could face new challenges in dual crises. To address these new and growing challenges, this playbook employs insights from case studies (n=12), survey data of individuals impacted by public safety power shutoff (PSPS) events (n=210), and expert interviews (n=17). Using these data, the playbook: (i) shares recent lessons learned from case studies of compounding disasters during the pandemic; (ii) offers a primer for the potential compounding impact of PSPS events and disasters; (iii) highlights current considerations in the emergency management and evacuation fields; and (iv) provides a series of actionable checklists to address COVID-19 and a compounding disaster. Relevant stakeholders in disasters and evacuations that should use this playbook include public agencies, first responders, community-based organizations, non-governmental organizations, private mobility companies, public health facilities, and other evacuation stakeholders. The playbook can be adapted for multiple hazards, different local contexts, various agency types, and future pandemics. View...
How COVID Could Change the Bay Area For All of Us

How COVID Could Change the Bay Area For All of Us

by | Feb 12, 2021 |

Bay Curious, February 11, 2020 A year into the coronavirus pandemic there’s hope on the horizon. It’s too soon to know the lasting impacts on the Bay Area, but we asked experts in mental health, transportation and education to try and predict what we might expect in our day-to-day lives as we slowly emerge from this crisis. … Listen to the full podcast episode...