The MEMO BY JINHUA ZHAO

Rethink Urban Transportation

Actionable insights for transportation professionals who want to understand what actually works, what’s not, and what might come next

    Nov 01
    Leading Utah DOT: Carlos Braceras on Innovation and Olympics

    Leading Utah DOT: Carlos Braceras on Innovation and Olympics

    The Olympics forced UDOT to build faster, change travel behavior, and coordinate transportation as one system. The lasting achievement was a culture of innovation.
    8 min read
    Oct 31
    Reinvent Customer Experience at Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority

    Reinvent Customer Experience at Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority

    When Randy Clarke took over Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) in 2022, it faced a $750M deficit, two-thirds
    2 min read
    Oct 12
    Making AI Work in State DOTs

    Making AI Work in State DOTs

    Lessons from California, Texas, and Utah
    5 min read
    Oct 03
    3 Levels of Action To Make AI Work

    3 Levels of Action To Make AI Work

    Individual Productivity | Project Teams | Organizational Change
    9 min read
    Sep 23
    New Generation Activity-Based Travel Demand Models: From Trips To Lives

    New Generation Activity-Based Travel Demand Models: From Trips To Lives

    A new generation of travel demand modeling is pushing toward much greater behavioral detail
    11 min read
    Sep 20
    Two Types of AI in Transportation: Fantastic AI and Grounded AI

    Two Types of AI in Transportation: Fantastic AI and Grounded AI

    What Transportation Professionals Should Learn and Do Now
    7 min read
    Sep 02
    A Transit Playbook for Mid-Size Cities

    A Transit Playbook for Mid-Size Cities

    How Arlington, Texas, with 400,000 people, 99 square miles, 3 failed transit votes, built citywide public transit for a fifth of the cost
    6 min read
    Sep 02
    Your Gas Tax Is Going to Zero.

    Your Gas Tax Is Going to Zero.

    Oregon DOT Spent 25 Years Building the Replacement: Road Usage Charge
    6 min read
    Sep 02
    The Chicago and San Francisco Transit Fiscal Cliff

    The Chicago and San Francisco Transit Fiscal Cliff

    Nine Months On: Chicago has climbed off. San Francisco is about to ask its voters for a rope.
    7 min read
    Sep 02
    Vancouver and Toronto Carries Twice the Transit Ridership Per Capita

    Vancouver and Toronto Carries Twice the Transit Ridership Per Capita

    Metro Vancouver: 153 transit trips per resident. Metro Boston: 54. Calgary: ~77. Denver: ~21. The cities look remarkably similar. Their
    3 min read
    Sep 02
    The 40,000-Death Problem the SELF DRIVE Act Could Solve

    The 40,000-Death Problem the SELF DRIVE Act Could Solve

    Human drivers never pool their hard-won lessons; AV fleets could, if the law let it. One Car’s Crash Should Be Every Fleet’s Lesson.
    16 min read
    Sep 01
    Inside Transport for London’s Secret Sauce

    Inside Transport for London’s Secret Sauce

    How TfL Got London’s Businesses to Fund a £19B Railway
    8 min read