Welcome to the Waterloo Public Transportation Initiative

Transportation systems are critical to the function of cities. Effective transportation infrastructure and operations promote the three pillars of sustainability: strong economies, vibrant social and cultural opportunities, with minimal negative impacts.

The Waterloo Public Transportation Initiative (WPTI) is a research group formed between the School of Planning and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Waterloo. The group seeks to advance sustainable transportation by engaging in meaningful and impactful research in Canada, North America and internationally.

The primary focus of research conducted in WPTI is to promote and achieve “balanced transportation” – conditions where travel is possible as pedestrians, cyclists, transit riders and auto users. These kinds of systems are achieved through planning and policy, design and operations, and finally economic instruments. The research team in WPTI engages in scholarship in these core areas.

To date, more than 30 graduate students have completed research degrees in WPTI and are now positively impacting cities and their transportation systems around the world.

  1. Jan. 26, 2018WPTI returns from Washington
    Veronica Sullivan, Janelle Lee, and Michelle Thompson at TRB 2018

  2. Apr. 30, 2017Janelle Lee to start internship with World Bank in Mexico

    This summer, with financial support from the University of Waterloo, fellow WPTI member Janelle Lee will be travelling to Mexico City to participate in a research internship with the World Bank. Janelle will be assisting the World Bank’s urban transportation team to investigate Mexico City’s informal and formal transport systems. Findings from her research will assist policymakers by identifying the key characteristics of successful public transport systems in developing countries and providing qualitative data on informal transport operations.

  3. Dec. 14, 2016WPTI prepares for TRB Annual Meeting 2017

    In the new year, the Waterloo Public Transportation Initiative (WPTI) will be attending the Transportation Research Board's (TRB) 96th Annual Meeting in Washington D.C. WPTI will be associated with three presentations at the conference: 

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