SCC-CIVIC-FA Track A: User-Centered Mobility Solutions (UCMS): A New Vision to Connect Jobs and the Labor Force

这项NSF CIVIC拨款将测试新的以用户为中心的交通服务模式是否能够克服机构、多司法管辖区的协调障碍，并解决持续存在的空间不匹配问题，这些问题可能会阻碍边缘化人群获得工作。案例研究的区域是密尔沃基地区，该地区缺乏跨司法管辖区的交通服务，无法有效地将生活在市中心边缘社区的工人与郊区县的就业机会联系起来。本研究聚焦于两组核心用户——劳动力参与者和雇主——将实施和评估两种试点服务模式，以满足这两组用户的需求。具体而言，研究将考察用户需求驱动的新服务模式能否克服制度障碍，获得广泛支持，以解决区域空间错配问题；研究服务模式如何缩小移动技术进步与边缘社区技术采用之间的差距；比较以劳动力为中心和以雇主为中心的服务模式如何有效地实现其他经济、环境、经济、环境、经济、环境和经济等方面的发展。还有社会目标。研究活动将由威斯康辛大学密尔沃基分校和威斯康辛东南部区域规划委员会与劳动力发展组织、商业组织、运输机构和地方政府联合开展。这一伙伴关系将促进研究成果的交流和公民对话，促进技术社区的联系，并为技术和科学发现创造新的机会。研究活动将丰富学生的研究经验和社区学习。以劳动力为中心和以雇主为中心的服务模式都将使用按需微交通，通过将密尔沃基低收入居民与邻近郊区县的就业中心连接起来，为边缘化人群提供服务。然而，这两种模式在服务面积和出行成本方面有所不同，反映了核心用户在他们期望的交通服务水平和他们的支付意愿之间的各自权衡。研究将回答两个问题：1)以用户为中心的方法如何克服多辖区协调障碍，解决区域层面的空间失配问题？2)以劳动力为中心和以雇主为中心的流动服务在多大程度上实现了一系列不同的目标？将采用混合方法分析框架，包括访谈、调查、数据融合、大数据分析、空间统计和经济分析，对两种服务模式进行定性和定量评估。可衡量的结果包括服务效率、财务可行性、环境可持续性、经济效益、公平影响和参与者经验。该项目是公民创新挑战赛的一部分，该挑战赛是由国家科学基金会、能源部汽车技术办公室、国土安全部科学技术局和联邦紧急事务管理局合作开展的。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This NSF CIVIC grant will test whether new user-centered transportation service models can overcome institutional, multi-jurisdictional coordination barriers and solve persistent spatial mismatches that can deter marginalized population groups from accessing jobs. The case study area is the Milwaukee region, which lacks cross-jurisdictional transportation services that efficiently connect workers living in marginalized inner-city neighborhoods with available jobs in suburban counties. Focusing on two groups of core users—labor force participants and employers—this study will implement and evaluate two pilot service models designed to meet the needs of these respective user groups. Specifically, the research will examine whether the new service models driven by user needs can overcome institutional barriers and gain broad support to solve the regional spatial mismatch problem, investigate how the service models can narrow the gap between advancements in mobility technologies and technology adoption among marginalized communities, and compare how effectively the labor force-centered and employer-centered service models can achieve other economic, environmental, and social goals. The research activities will be carried out by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission in conjunction with workforce development organizations, business organizations, transit agencies, and local governments. This partnership will facilitate an exchange of research findings and civic dialogues, foster technology-community connections, and create new opportunities for technical and scientific discovery. Research activities will enrich student research experiences and community-based learning. Both the labor force-centered and employer-centered service models will use on-demand microtransit to serve marginalized populations by connecting the low-income Milwaukee residents with employment centers in a neighboring suburban county. However, the two models will differ in terms of the service area and travel cost, reflecting core users’ respective tradeoffs between their desired level of transportation services and their willingness to pay. The research will answer two questions: 1) How well does the user-centered approach overcome multi-jurisdictional coordination barriers and solve regional-level spatial mismatch? 2) To what degree do the labor force-centered and employer-centered mobility services achieve a diverse set of goals? A mixed-method analysis framework will be applied that includes interviews, surveys, data fusion, big data analysis, spatial statistics, and economic analysis to qualitatively and quantitatively evaluate the two service models. Measurable outcomes include service efficiency, financial feasibility, environmental sustainability, economic benefits, equity implications, and participant experience.This project is part of the CIVIC Innovation Challenge which is a collaboration of NSF, Department of Energy Vehicle Technology Office, Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate and Federal Emergency Management Agency.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.