COVID-19 Transportation Systems Planning: Partnerships for Innovations in Monitoring, Modelling and Service Delivery

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This Alliance Grants project advances co-development of knowledge in mobility planning and accelerates the flow and exchange of research data, methods and tools for transportation system adaptations for COVID-19 in partnership with public agencies and a private analytic venture. The proposed research tackles immediate challenges that many Canadian municipalities, including Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) are facing as they plan to reopen activities and public places. There is an urgent need to develop a government-researchers nexus to quickly access expertise, policy-relevant data, tools and methods for monitoring, planning and service delivery, aiming at slowing down and preventing the transmission of COVID-19 in the short-, medium- and long-term. This research project provides an innovative, analytical framework for data collection, modelling, scenario testing and plan development. The research project utilizes existing data and models, and builds upon prior partnerships with the HRM. The Province of Nova Scotia's Department of Municipal Affairs and Housing further provides access to municipalities across the province. The private partner brings expertise in developing a sketch planning tool, leveraging the existing model and computational framework developed by university researchers. The specific outcomes of the project include an assessment of activity and mobility patterns and an evaluation of alternative scenarios for reopening. The focus of the research partnership is to enable an operational modelling tool for quicker planning for transportation system adaptations. The partners bring a total of $22,287 in-kind contribution, leading to active participation in guiding, designing, and delivering the research outcomes. The activities outlined in the proposal engages readily available graduate students and a post-doctoral fellow. Along with the multi-sectoral partners, knowledge developed from this research will be shared with a broad range of professionals in Nova Scotia and beyond. We will integrate the contributions of the research team, partners and stakeholders through regular consultations to tackle an immediate challenge that requires collective and collaborative efforts.