Urban Mobility in the Sharing Economy: A spatiotemporal comparison of micromobility services

The influx of new mobility services, such as free-floating scooter-share and e-bikes, in many cities has contributed to a substantial change in urban transportation with adoption rates reminiscent of other shared-mobility services, e.g., ride-hailing. Touted as a possible solution to the last mile problem, a number of micro-mobility operators have situated themselves in urban centres promising low-cost alternative transportation options for short, urban travel. While these operators have carved out a piece of the urban transportation ecosystem in many cities, most city officials and citizens are just now beginning to assess their role in the future of transportation. In this presentation I give overview of the work being done in the Platial Analysis Lab in assessing and comparing new mobility services within and between regions. We take a computational approach, investigating spatial and temporal patterns in mobility behaviour.

Biography

Grant McKenzie is an Assistant Professor of spatial data science in the Department of Geography at McGill University. At McGill, Grant leads the Platial Analysis Lab, an interdisciplinary research group that works at the intersection of information science and behavioural geography. Much of Grant's work examines how human activity patterns vary within and between local regions and global communities. This has driven his applied interests in financial accessibility, geoprivacy, and micro-mobility services as well as the broader role that geographic information science plays at the intersection of information technologies and society. Grant is a founding member of the Seattle-based start-up consultancy Spatial Development International (now Locana) and has worked as a data scientist and software developer for a range of NGOs and leading technology companies.