The Urban Transportation Center (UTC) is a research unit dedicated to innovative transportation research and education that provides technical assistance on urban transportation planning, policy, operations, finance and management.
Part of the College of Urban Planning & Public Affairs at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), the UTC is a nationally-recognized innovator in research, education and engagement that benefits transportation networks in cities and metropolitan areas across America.
Mission Statement
The Urban Transportation Center focuses on researching evolving transportation issues to assist the Chicago region and Illinois stakeholders and achieve national and international prominence to advance solutions for emerging transportation challenges.
Vision Statement
The mission will be realized by UTC staff, students and affiliated faculty through interdisciplinary research. The research will assist the UTC in becoming a national and international leader in transportation. It will offer an immersive, transformative education based on real-world problems and practical student experience. Utilizing the local urban context, the Center will be an incubator for successful solutions to urban challenges while facilitating the advancement of staff, students and affiliated faculty.
The UTC was established as a campus unit in 1979. During the past 40-plus years, the unit has been an acknowledged leader in research that provides practical solutions to today’s transportation challenges. Research is concentrated in these five core clusters:
- Transit planning, operations and management
- Transportation funding and financing
- Freight planning, operations and management
- Data development for transportation planning and analysis
- The growth of electrification in future transportation
Researchers also have proven experience in intelligent transportation systems (ITS), asset management, transportation land use and the environment, paratransit, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on modern transportation, and human services transportation.
The UTC is a member of the Council of University Transportation Centers (CUTC). Faculty and staff are active in the Transportation Research Board.
The UTC research staff is comprised of four Ph.D. researchers, one master's researcher, and 15 Research Assistants. The team is supported by 25 UIC affiliated faculty from other colleges and departments. Each professional brings a broad range of transportation experience and specialized skills to every research project. The UTC is rounded out by a support staff of two professionals.