Lise Dirks - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Lise Dirks

Over 22 million U.S. veterans live in America. This population is expected to increase as older v... more Over 22 million U.S. veterans live in America. This population is expected to increase as older veterans live longer and as active members of the armed forces leave the service. Forty percent (40%) of these veterans are over 65 years old; which surpasses the percentage of senior citizens in the general public. Veterans have higher disability rates and more severe disabilities than others. The number of disabled post-911 veterans will likely increase more than 50% between 2013 and 2018. Unemployment among young disabled veterans remains high. Federal, state and local governments have initiated policies and programs to meet post-war veterans’ needs, including community services, job-training, and medical care. They also have instituted programs to address the needs of aging veterans, who may be isolated because of diminishing volunteer transportation networks. To better serve these veterans, federal, state, and local governments have increasingly been incorporating public transportati...

The main aim of this study is to advance the understanding of interactions among land use, transp... more The main aim of this study is to advance the understanding of interactions among land use, transportation infrastructure, and movement of freight. There are three research thrusts for the study. The first thrust examines the effects of transportation infrastructure on the trucking sector output, employment, and productivity at both state and urban area levels. The second thrust looks at how built environment factors such as intersection and road densities affect consumption of retail goods while accounting for the effects economic and demographic conditions. The third thrust examines the perceptions and knowledge of the stakeholders involved in urban freight movement and commercial real estate development regarding the relationship between land use and freight. While these thrusts do not comprise a complete list of critically important topics in understanding the land use – freight relationships, collecting information and advancing our understanding of these issues will establish a...

Springer Geography, 2016

This paper assesses non-traditional urban digital infomediaries who are pushing the agenda of urb... more This paper assesses non-traditional urban digital infomediaries who are pushing the agenda of urban Big Data and Open Data. Our analysis identified a mix of private, public, non-profit and informal infomediaries, ranging from very large organizations to independent developers. Using a mixed-methods approach, we identified four major groups of organizations within this dynamic and diverse sector: general-purpose ICT providers, urban information service providers, open and civic data infomediaries, and independent and open source developers. A total of nine types of organizations are identified within these four groups.

Research in Transportation Business & Management

The Illinois Marine Transportation System (IMTS) is a key component of the nation’s inland waterw... more The Illinois Marine Transportation System (IMTS) is a key component of the nation’s inland waterway system. IMTS is comprised of 27 locks and dams, 19 port districts, more than 350 active terminals, and 1,118 miles of navigable inland waterways traversing along the borderline or within the state of Illinois. However, the infrastructure of IMTS is aging and its conditions are deteriorating. To monitor the performance of IMTS and guide infrastructure investment to enhance safety, efficiency, and reliability of the system, a comprehensive performance measurement program is needed. To this end, the objective of this project is to create an integrated, comprehensive, and maintainable database that facilitates performance measurement of maritime freight to, from, and through Illinois. To achieve this objective, a review of the literature on maritime freight transportation both in the United States and abroad was performed. To gauge practitioners’ points of view, a series of phone intervie...

Instituting a free fare for ADA complementary paratransit service in the state Illinois will incr... more Instituting a free fare for ADA complementary paratransit service in the state Illinois will increase the demand and the associated costs of providing the specialized service. The purpose of this study is to estimate the increased demand by modeling fare elasticity and using previous industry experience. Using the UIC/UTC model resulted in an estimated average increase in annual ADA trips between 71% and 95% in the Chicago area. The range in estimated annual ADA trips increase at a 90% confidence level would be between 37% and 135%. The ranges vary in Chicago, suburbs and downstate based on their fare elasticity. Given previous industry free ride experiments, the latent demand exhibited by the large number of disabled persons living within ¾ mile of a fixed route and the expected diversion of wheelchair riders currently using fixed routes, we believe it is not unreasonable to expect increases in ridership approaching 100%. Below is a range of annual costs based on the 2007 cost per trip for city, suburban and downstate service:

Journal of Public Transportation, 2012

Applications of Advanced Technologies in Transportation Engineering (2004), 2004

The study identifies the characteristics of neighborhoods that contribute to off-peak transit, wa... more The study identifies the characteristics of neighborhoods that contribute to off-peak transit, walk or bike use. The emphasis is on off-peak and nonwork trips and how to promote modes other than the automobile. By producing thirty maps illustrating socioeconomic and travel behavior patterns in the Chicago area, the potential for stabilizing and then increasing the utilization of these modes is

Transportation coordination involves service coordination, planning coordination, and financial c... more Transportation coordination involves service coordination, planning coordination, and financial coordination. A scan of the literature indicates that transportation coordination efforts are hampered by a lack of understanding about existing services, turf issues, and inadequate funding. One solution to address this problem is by providing comprehensive information management systems (IMS) to all stakeholder groups that are part of the regional and

Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 2010

Development of an Interactive Public and Specialized Transportation Information Management System... more Development of an Interactive Public and Specialized Transportation Information Management System: Statewide Coordination Lessons from Illinois Transportation Coordination pertains to service coordination, planning coordination, and financial

Metropolitan Transportation Support Initiative (METSI) Working Paper, 2006

Obesity is recognized as a national problem. Poor diet and insufficient exercise are the accepted... more Obesity is recognized as a national problem. Poor diet and insufficient exercise are the accepted causes. Factors such as our culture and our built environments are increasingly being explored as potential contributing factors to obesity; specifically, the relationship of residential setting and urban sprawl to obesity are being investigated.

In this paper, our objective is to make a qualitative assessment of urban digital infomediaries w... more In this paper, our objective is to make a qualitative assessment of urban digital infomediaries who are pushing the agenda of urban Big Data and Open Data. Our analysis identified a mix of private, public, non-profit and informal infomediaries, ranging from very large organizations to independent developers. Using a mixed-methods approach, we identified four major groups of organizations within this dynamic and diverse sector: general-purpose ICT providers, urban information service providers, open and civic data infomediaries, and independent and open source developers. A total of ten organizational types are identified within these four groups.

We aligned these ten organizational types along five dimensions which highlight their mission and major strands of interest: techno-managerial, scientific, business and commercial, urban engagement, and openness and transparency. We discuss urban ICT entrepreneurs, and the role of informal networks in involving independent developers, data scientists and civic hackers in a domain that historically involved professionals in the urban planning and public management domains. Additionally, we assess issues of convergence in the sector by looking at overlaps in the mission, interests and activities of different groups of stakeholders. We also consider increasing similarities in products and services offered by the infomediaries, while highlighting ideological tensions that might arise given the overall complexity of the sector, and the differences in backgrounds of the participants involved. There is much room for creation of knowledge and value networks in the urban data and ICT sector and for improved cross-fertilization among bodies of knowledge.

Books by Lise Dirks