New research chair helps keep city moving

By Brandy Calvert

A new research chair in transportation systems has been established at the University of Calgary to work with the City of Calgary to enhance mobility—that is, the flow of cars, buses, trains, bicycles and people.

Lina Kattan is the Urban Alliance Professor in Transportation Systems Optimization, the first of several chairs to head up major research programs as part of the Urban Alliance partnership between the U of C and the city.

“I will be taking a new direction that looks at the way artificial intelligence can be used to develop modern controls and techniques—‘smart’ traffic systems that work in real time,” says Kattan.

Kattan, who will collaborate with the city’s transportation department, is an expert in systems that integrate, for example, the way traffic lights, buses and C-trains interact, determining how traffic will flow around construction sites, and how electronic message boards and other routing techniques work best.

All of these traffic control systems can be integrated so that each point in the system can adapt to changes introduced at any other point in the system—whether it is a car collision, construction zone or poor weather conditions.

“A fast-growing city like Calgary is an ideal research environment for understanding urban traffic congestion because it provides so many opportunities to see what is working, where and why,” says Tom Brown, head of the department of civil engineering at the Schulich School of Engineering. “Dr. Kattan’s expertise will enhance the city’s mobility initiatives and help plan for long-term sustainable ‘smart’ systems that keep traffic moving amid growth, construction and repair.”

Kattan’s five-year research program, with initial funding of $625,000 over five years, is funded as part of the Urban Alliance.

“We’re delighted to have the expertise of Dr. Kattan and her team working collaboratively on optimizing Calgary’s transportation system,” agrees Troy McLeod, manager of Transportation Optimization at the City of Calgary. “This is an excellent example of the power of the Urban Alliance—City of Calgary staff working with the very impressive research talent at the University of Calgary to build a better city.”