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Cudahy Neighborhood Energy Conscious Transit

Timeline: August - December 2021 (12 weeks)

Role: Designer/Researcher - Group Project

SUMMARY AND IMPACT

Our approach to improve sustainable local mobility options for residents of a city named Cudahy in LA County, includes digital mobile application and local partnership outreach to deploy a working prototype
 

Cudahy is a small city in LA County where majority of households are families. Through intensive online and field research, we came up with the solution to create a multi-modal, interconnected transportation system that provides Cudahy residents with expanded options and experiences in their choice of healthy, environmentally friendly, commuting options. Our proposal is unique by having interconnected, diverse and community sourced approaches to the different types of options commuters get to use in the Cudahy area. The opportunity to make this system practical came to light to create a digital application that empowers community mobility.


 

Societal

Increased mobility options
Improved health of residents
Community building through engagement
Educate residents on how to improve their own health and the health of their community

Environmental

Educate residents on sustainable transportation options
Inspire younger generations to learn about sustainability
Reduction in gasoline car usage

Viable

In partnership with the City of Cudahy, we believe our implementation could be funded with partnerships similar to those the pilot programs in San Pedro and Pacoima where they partnered with EV car companies to enable the pilot program

Scalable

Easily add more units and locations
Integrate with current public transportation options
Affordable for most small underserved communities
Can be integrated with other surrounding areas to increase reach of impac

BACKGROUND
System Approach: A solution for local transportation with global impact

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  • Create a zero-emission transportation system.

  • A convenient, safe, clean, and affordable transportation system that enhances mobility and quality of life while reducing car dependency.

  • Inclusive, transparent, and accountable governance that encourages participation in sustainability efforts, especially by disempowered communities.


RESEARCH

Extensive online and field research​

Online Research:
To gain a better understanding of our client, we initiated thorough online research. Examining quantitative demographic data, we discovered that the community predominantly consisted of Hispanic immigrant families. Additionally, we conducted research on the city's geographical location to examine the existing public transportation system and identify key areas within the city where frequent visits occurred. This helped us to discover the effectiveness of the public transpiration routs for the residents. Below you can see some of the data collection and data visualizations that improved our understanding of the city:

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The online research enabled us to strategically ready ourselves for field research, establishing trust with the residents and ensuring productive research sessions.
 
Field Research:
We proceeded with our research by visiting the City of Cudahy, engaging in interviews with residents, and gaining firsthand experience with the current public transportation system. We conducted interviews at various locations within the city with the aim of expanding our research pool to include residents from diverse demographics. Below you can see the research materials and photos documenting our study:

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ANALYSIS AND IDEATION

We incorporated the affinity mapping and method of storytelling to categorize data

 

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MISSION STATEMENT
 

Our mission is to improve and expand existing infrastructure, as well as creating processes to engage community members in creating user centered sustainable solutions.


USER JOURNEY

 


FUTURE WORK
 

  • Refining the initial design is achievable through the implementation of an iterative design methodology. This approach allows the designer to revisit users, ensuring that requirements are accurate, and the design effectively addresses users' actual pain points. I consider this methodology crucial and highly effective in my work.

  • Discussing the digital portion of our multi-modal solution with Cudahy residents.

  • Measure the usability of this system by having in mind the gender and age of the users.

  • Expand the system to nearby cities to study the scalability factor.

This research has been done in a team of 4 - Raul Garza, Narges Goshayeshisafa, Michael Shatto, Alison Yanacek

Project Resources

© 2021 by Narges Safa
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