Jinhua Zhao named head of the Department of Urban Studies and Planning
"MIT appoints renowned transportation planner as department head, shaping global mobility systems."
Jinhua Zhao is the new head of MIT's Department of Urban Studies and Planning. He succeeds Professor Christopher Zegras, effective July 1. As the Class of 1941 Professor of Cities and Transportation, Zhao is a world leader in imagining and shaping better futures for mobility. His work with governments and transportation agencies worldwide is a model for MIT's impact beyond its campus.
Zhao's research has been put into practice across some of the world's most complex mobility challenges. He and his team have shaped policy for Transport for London, the Mass Transit Railway in Hong Kong, and Japan Railways. His research has positively impacted leading U.S. transit authorities, including Boston's MBTA, the Chicago Transit Authority, and Washington's Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. Zhao has guided strategic planning for the mobility industry on the future of autonomous and digital mobility and developed autonomous vehicle deployment strategy in Singapore and the Middle East.
Every city Zhao has worked with faces the same tension: the technology is moving faster than the institutions designed to govern it. His work has been about closing that gap. At MIT, Zhao founded the MIT Mobility Initiative, which engages mobility and transportation researchers across the Institute as well as leaders in these disciplines from around the world. He hosts the weekly MIT Mobility Forum via Zoom, with each discussion open to the public. What began as a small internal list of participants has grown into a global platform, drawing more than 200 practitioners, policymakers, and researchers every week around the world.
The sizeable interest in the subject doesn't surprise Zhao. No single discipline owns transportation, he says. AI and autonomous systems are reshaping urban living faster than most institutions can adapt. The question is no longer what we know; it is whether the people who need it most – municipal governments, transport agencies, federal ministries – can access it when they make decisions on transportation. This is why the forum exists. Zhao directs the JTL Urban Mobility Lab, which unites behavioral science and transportation technology to shape travel behavior, design mobility systems, and improve transportation policies.
Zhao is also a lead principal investigator with Mens, Manus, and Machina, an MIT initiative at the intersection of artificial intelligence, the future of work, and human learning. The initiative develops tools and strategies for how cities, institutions, and economies can be designed to ensure AI augments, rather than displaces, the people within them. As the new head of the Department of Urban Studies and Planning, Zhao will continue to shape global mobility systems and advance the field of urban studies.
Under Professor Christopher Zegras' leadership, the department expanded opportunities for students to engage directly with communities and policymakers around the world and continued to strengthen its long-standing connection between research and practice. Dean of the MIT School of Architecture and Planning Hashim Sarkis noted that Zhao is a renowned transportation planner, educator, and scholar, and a world leader in imagining and shaping better futures for mobility. Jinhua is one of those rare scholars who moves seamlessly between cutting-edge research and real-world policy, says Sarkis. His work with governments and transportation agencies around the world is a model for what MIT's impact can look like beyond our campus.
Zhao's appointment as the head of the Department of Urban Studies and Planning is a significant development for the field of urban studies. His research and work have already had a significant impact on global mobility systems, and his leadership will continue to shape the field in the years to come. As the world grapples with the challenges of urbanization, climate change, and technological disruption, the importance of urban studies and planning cannot be overstated. The department, under Zhao's leadership, will continue to play a critical role in advancing our understanding of these challenges and developing innovative solutions to address them.
The MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning has a long history of excellence in research and education. The department is home to a diverse and talented community of scholars, students, and practitioners who are committed to understanding and addressing the complex challenges facing cities and urban regions. With Zhao at the helm, the department is poised to continue its tradition of innovation and leadership in the field of urban studies and planning. As the new head of the department, Zhao will build on the strengths of the department and take it to new heights, shaping the future of urban studies and planning for generations to come.
In conclusion, Jinhua Zhao's appointment as the head of the Department of Urban Studies and Planning is a significant development for the field of urban studies. His research and work have already had a significant impact on global mobility systems, and his leadership will continue to shape the field in the years to come. As the world grapples with the challenges of urbanization, climate change, and technological disruption, the importance of urban studies and planning cannot be overstated. The department, under Zhao's leadership, will continue to play a critical role in advancing our understanding of these challenges and developing innovative solutions to address them.
