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

这笔NSF公民赠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制度性的、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，这些问题可能会阻止边缘化人口群体获得就业机会。案例研究地区是密尔沃基地区，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边缘化市中心社区的工人与郊区县的可用工作岗位联系起来。这项研究聚焦于两个核心用户群体--劳动力参与者和雇主--将实施和评估两种试点服务模式，旨在满足这些不同用户群体的需求。具体地说，研究将考察由用户需求驱动的新服务模式是否能够克服制度障碍并获得广泛支持，以解决区域空间不匹配问题，调查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，并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、环境和社会目标。研究活动将由威斯康星大学密尔沃基分校和威斯康星州东南部地区规划委员会与劳动力发展组织、商业组织、交通机构和地方政府共同开展。这一伙伴关系将促进研究成果的交流和公民对话，促进技术与社区的联系，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以社区为基础的学习。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，通过将低收入密尔沃基居民与邻近郊区县的就业中心联系起来，为边缘人群提供服务。然而，这两种模式在服务面积和旅行成本方面将有所不同，反映了核心用户在他们希望的交通服务水平和他们的支付意愿之间的各自权衡。这项研究将回答两个问题：1)以用户为中心的方法如何克服多司法管辖区的协调障碍，解决区域层面的空间不匹配？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不同的目标？将采用包括访谈、调查、数据融合、大数据分析、空间统计和经济分析在内的混合方法分析框架，对两种服务模式进行定性和定量评估。可衡量的成果包括服务效率、财务可行性、环境可持续性、经济效益、公平影响和参与者体验。该项目是公民创新挑战的一部分，该挑战由NSF、能源汽车技术办公室、国土安全部科学和技术局和联邦应急管理机构合作。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势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.