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April 15-16, 2026
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Title: Mobility-Data–Informed Rural Service Design: Case Studies and Insights from Southeastern States
Title: Mobility-Data–Informed Rural Service Design: Case Studies and Insights from Southeastern States
Presenters: Venktesh Pandey (NCAT)
Presenters: Venktesh Pandey (NCAT)
CR2C2 | MRI 3 | Project 3-2
April 16, 2026 | 9:05 - 9:25 | Ballroom
Abstract: Transportation accessibility links rural residents to jobs, healthcare, education, and daily needs. It depends on two fundamentals: the supply of opportunities and the ability to reach them by available modes. This talk shares findings from Project 3-2 across case studies in North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and Alabama, addressing three questions: how to measure access at useful geographic scales, what mobility and place-based data reveal about why access varies, and which rural service concepts can improve it. We combine anonymized mobile device visit patterns to clinics, grocery stores, schools, and job centers with public data on roads, travel times, transit schedules, and neighborhood demographics. We translate these inputs into access metrics using distance-and-opportunity models and compare expected and observed visits to summarize disruption and recovery for Hurricane Helene case study. Broadly, this talk will explore the methods and lessons learned in translating mobility evidence into practical guidance for rural service design, including flexible on-demand transit, coordinated mobile clinics, and other targeted strategies for low-density areas.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Dr. Venktesh Pandey is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. He serves as the Co-Lead for Major Research Initiative 1 (Transportation Planning) within the Center for Regional and Rural Connected Communities (CR2C2), where he helps advance research-to-practice solutions for improving mobility and access in regional and rural contexts. His research integrates intelligent transportation systems (ITS), emerging mobility services, and transportation planning models, with interests spanning traffic operations, congestion management and pricing, and decision-support tools for agencies. Dr. Pandey is a member of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Mobility Management Committee and a member of American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE). He is also committed to strengthening engineering education through student-centered instruction and the development of interactive learning tools. Dr. Pandey is the recipient of the 2022–23 Junior Faculty Teaching Excellence Award at N.C. A&T and holds Association of College and University Educators (ACUE) certifications in Effective Teaching Practices and Fostering a Culture of Belonging.
About CR2C2 and CATM
About CR2C2 and CATM
Read more About CR2C2: https://www.cr2c2.com/about-us/about-cr2c2
Read more About FERSC: https://fersc.utk.edu/
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