Arts & Science alum Marian Mendoza is helping cities rethink how to manage one of the most overlooked but essential urban spaces — the curb.
“Cities are finally starting to see the value of this real estate and taking steps to make the most of it,” says Mendoza, who earned her honours bachelor of arts in geography and international relations as a member of Victoria College in 2019.
Curbside management has become increasingly important as curb use expands beyond vehicle parking to include bike lanes, patios, and designated pickup areas for rideshares. Toronto, for example, has about 5,600 kilometres of curbside — a distance roughly equal to that between the St. George campus and Whitehorse, Yukon.
Mendoza is product operations specialist at Toronto-based CurbIQ, a curbside management platform solution that digitizes, visualizes, and analyzes curbside spaces. By providing cities with the tools to analyze real-time and historical data on curbside usage, CurbIQ helps municipalities and universities make strategic, data-informed policy decisions to better optimize curbside space.
“A city can use CurbIQ to see that certain on-street parking spaces are underutilized,” says Mendoza. “And this could help decision makers to consider converting those spaces into alternative curbside uses, such as a dedicated lane for transit or active transportation, improving accessibility and mobility in general for the city.”
CurbIQ and its technology partners are making impacts in several cities around the world, including Dublin, Ireland, where the platform was used to map more than 30 kilometres of curbside. Data was made available to city staff and even third-party vendors, such as delivery services, who can use the data to avoid curbside conflicts. The goal of the project was to help Dublin better understand curb usage patterns, while also optimizing curb access to reduce congestion, improve traffic circulation, and lower carbon emissions.
Drawing on skills she developed during her time at U of T, Mendoza represents a new generation of city builders using data and advanced technology to build more inclusive and sustainable cities.
“U of T taught me to be curious, ask questions and develop strong research skills,” says Mendoza. “You’re free to ask any questions you want, and you have guidance from professors to explore and nurture your research interests.”
During her undergraduate studies, under the mentorship of Michael Widener, chair and professor in the Department of Geography & Planning, Mendoza completed an independent research project on multimodal transportation in Portland, Oregon. The experience helped shape her ability to thrive in a field that becomes more technically demanding every year.
“As a student, Marian had a special talent for thinking through complex urban problems, their connections to both social and technical systems, and then charting a way forward,” says Widener.
“She always brought to class a wonderful mix of intellectual curiosity and positivity,” adds Don Boyes, associate dean, teaching & learning, who taught Mendoza in several courses. “It’s great to see her doing so well in her chosen field.”
Mendoza’s dedication to academics was recognized with the William G. Dean Scholarship in Field Research, one of several scholarships she received while at U of T.
“I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunities I had,” says Mendoza. “Scholarships gave me the freedom to explore a career path that wasn’t a straight line.”
As cities and populations grow, so does the demand for housing, transit, and yes, even curb space. Mendoza sees CurbIQ — and other emerging technologies — as essential tools for managing urban growth.
“I’ve already noticed a shift in support, from the public and private sectors, for building our cities smarter in ways that use technology to improve urban planning processes,” she says. “But I’m a firm believer that technology doesn't replace human expertise; it just gives us the data and confidence to make better decisions.”