For Bogdan Kapatsila, the journey is equally as, if not more, important than the destination.
Kapatsila, assistant professor in the School of Planning and Public Affairs and researcher affiliate at the Center for Social Science Innovation (CSSI), studies the transportation systems that fuel daily journeys. He wants to understand how transportation policies, technologies, and land use influence people’s travel behavior and impact their well-being.
Kapatsila grew up in a dense Ukranian city, where people traveled efficiently by walking or using public transit, so transportation never crossed Kapatsila’s mind as a research topic, let alone as an interesting career choice.
Instead, Kapatsila, who had interests in multiple fields, ended up following the advice of his father, an engineering professor. He eventually earned a bachelor’s in automation and computer integrated technologies and master’s in industrial and civil engineering from Ternopil Ivan Pul’uj National Technical University.
It wasn’t until a post-grad job as an urban planner that transportation caught his attention.
“I realized transportation has such a transformative impact on both the built environment and how we interact with it,” Kapatsila recalls.
Seeking to cultivate his interest more, Kapatsila came to the United States, obtaining a master's in urban and regional planning from the University of Iowa, and then later a PhD in the same field from University of Alberta.
Returning to the university in August 2024, Kapatsila’s research investigates how different incentives (both economic and non-economic) influence people’s transportation behaviors. For instance, Kapatsila discovered that college students who receive and don’t use a fare-free transit pass from their university can be incentivized through “employer-acknowledged entry on a resume or an honorable mention in a newsletter” to donate their pass to those who cannot afford one.
Another line of Kapatsila’s research explores how urban planners can equitably and sustainably integrate transportation systems and the places people travel to. Finally, he studies how electric buses can be implemented in existing transit networks.
“I want my research to inform how we can limit the environmental footprint of our cities, increasing the health, safety, and welfare of people, either directly or indirectly,” Kapatsila says.
Additionally, Kapatsila has his eyes set on local transportation, as he is examining the differences between the Iowa City Transit, which is fare-free, and the Coralville Transit, which is not. He is also collecting data on obstacles in the current regional transport systems that impede community members from accessing healthy food, medical services, and social gatherings.
To help tackle these transportation issues, Kapatsila is currently partaking in CSSI’s grant writers’ circle, which has provided him with useful knowledge on how to frame grant proposals. Ultimately, Kapatsila hopes his grants and following projects inform policies that address currently existing problems.
“We shouldn't just be coming up with problems on our own, which is very easy to do as a university researcher. I approach my research from the point that there are so many questions that don't have answers and I am looking to provide those answers.”
To learn more about CSSI’s researcher affiliate program, please visit our website.
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