Başar Özbilen, a fifth-year PhD candidate in City and Regional Planning received a Presidential Fellowship.

Özbilen’s research interests cover travel behavior, sustainable development, public health, transportation equity, and age-friendly communities.

The primary purpose of my dissertation research [directed by Maria Manta Conroy and Gulsah Akar] is to identify relevant sustainable planning strategies that will lower environmental impact, foster social equity, and promote positive health outcomes.

To that end, my first dissertation essay elaborates sustainable development and planning efforts more broadly, while the second and third essays discuss policies and strategies to promote sustainable transportation in an era of rapidly evolving mobility systems. The policy implications that are developed based on the findings of these three complementary essays will help authorities make better-informed decisions about the rapidly evolving urban mobility technologies, post-COVID urban resilience, and contemporary sustainable development challenges

The Presidential Fellowship recognizes the outstanding scholarly accomplishments and potential of graduate students entering the final phase of their dissertation research or terminal degree project.