Student Seminar by Mr. Dongsheng He on Sep 22, 2025, 3PM

Title: From association to causality: Causal effects of urban transport infrastructure intervention in China using natural experiment approaches

Speaker: Mr. Dongsheng He (Department of Urban Planning and Design)

Date: Sep 22, 2025 (Monday)

Time: 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Venue: Room 1010, CLL, Department of Geography, 10/F, The Jockey Club Tower, The University of Hong Kong

Registration Link: https://forms.office.com/r/zrU3BubSh0

Food and drinks will be provided for successfully registered participants.

About the talk: China’s rapid urbanisation has driven extensive construction and expansion of transport infrastructure, notably high-speed rail and intra-city rail transit systems. Such infrastructure projects are characterised by substantial financial investment, long construction timelines, and high sunk costs. Policymakers often assume that these investments generate broad benefits, including economic growth, improved public health, and enhanced social equity. However, most of the current studies rely on cross-sectional observations, which have significant limitations in establishing causal relationships. This seminar introduces a series of large-scale impact assessments of transport infrastructure projects in China, such as urban greenways and metro systems, using natural experiment methods to evaluate their effects on travel behaviours, traffic safety, and housing property values. The findings indicate that the expected benefits of transport infrastructure do not always exist as commonly presumed. Consequently, more nuanced and rigorous evaluations are necessary to better understand the effectiveness and mechanisms of such interventions.

About the speaker: Dongsheng He is currently a PhD candidate in the Department of Urban Planning and Design at the University of Hong Kong. His primary research areas include causal inference of transportation infrastructure impacts, land use and transport integration, and volumetric urban design in high-density cities. He has published more than ten papers in international journals such as Transportation Research Part A/D, Urban Studies, and Landscape and Urban Planning.

2 Sep 2025 (Tue) 17:30-18:30 | Seminar by Dr. Jinwoo Lee

Infrastructure Planning for the Electrification of Public Transit Systems: Cases in Urban Air Mobility, Robotaxis, and Buses

Speaker:

Dr. Jinwoo Lee

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)

Date:    Sep 2, 2025 (Tuesday)

Time:   5:30 pm – 6:30 pm

Venue:  Room 8-28, 8/F Haking Wong Building, The University of Hong Kong

Abstract

In the effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the transition toward electric and shared mobility systems is widely recognized as a sustainable solution. Among them, deploying electric vehicles in public transit can create synergies that enhance both environmental and social benefits. However, their operations and planning must address the distinctive challenges of electrification, including batteries, charging systems, and supporting infrastructure, in addition to the inherent constraints of public transit. This seminar explores planning problems for electric public transit across three modes: urban air mobility, robotaxis, and buses. These problems are formulated within an optimization framework that incorporates key planning and operational factors specific to each mode’s unique characteristics. Case studies conducted in cities such as Seoul and San Francisco illustrate the proposed optimal planning methods.

Bio

Dr. Jinwoo Lee is an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). His research focuses on sustainable and intelligent transportation infrastructure systems, with emphasis on planning for shared, autonomous, and electric mobility, AI-driven infrastructure management, and climate change adaptation. Beyond academia, he extends his expertise into practice as Director of Technology Innovation at Studio Galilei, a company providing demand-responsive transit services aimed at advancing inclusive mobility solutions, and as Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Rovoroad, which develops AI-robotics-based pavement management technologies. He received his Ph.D. and M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, and his B.S. degree from KAIST. Prior to joining KAIST, he worked as a postdoctoral associate at New York University Abu Dhabi and as a research assistant professor at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

02 SEP 2025 (TUE) 19:00 – 20:00 (HKT) Distinguished Transport Lecture by Prof. Quddus

From Reaction to Prediction: Re-imagining Traffic Safety Through AI and Intelligent Transport Systems

Please check the following document for the lecture slides by Prof. Quddus.

Prof Quddus DTLS Slides Sep 02.pptx

Download PPTX • 474.47MB

SPEAKER Prof. Quddus

Chair Professor of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS)

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Imperial College London ​ DATE AND TIME 02 SEP 2025, 7 pm -8 pm

Venue

Rayson Huang Theatre, The University of Hong Kong ORGANISED BY Institute of Transport Studies, The University of Hong Kong ​

REGISTRATION LINK

https://forms.office.com/r/P3jXb7bhap

ABSTRACT This talk presents a paradigm shift in traffic safety analysis, moving from reactive approaches based on historical collision data to proactive conflict detection and predictive collision modelling. In the reactive phase, advanced statistical methods are used to analyse collision patterns, identify high-risk locations and evaluate the effectiveness of safety interventions, laying the groundwork for evidence-based traffic safety evaluation programmes. The proactive phase leverages vehicle-based conflict data to anticipate potential collisions before they occur. To improve interpretability and accuracy, a context-aware conflict prediction algorithm is introduced, combining traffic covariates with vehicle sensor data using a hierarchical Bayesian threshold-excess model grounded in Extreme Value Theory (EVT). This approach improves model performance and enables efficient real-time deployment. In the predictive phase, vision-based video analytics are used to detect and explain pre-crash behaviours, informing the development of more transparent and trustworthy Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). Together, these phases represent a fundamental shift—from reacting to crashes after they occur, to preventing them through intelligent, explainable and data-driven systems. BIOS Professor Quddus is Chair Professor of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Imperial College London. He is internationally recognised for his pioneering research in transport safety and simulation, autonomous and connected vehicles, big data analytics, and map-matching technologies. His seminal work on AI-based map-matching has become highly influential, widely cited by researchers, and adopted by the ITS industry, automotive manufacturers, and National Highways. Notably, his award-winning risk-mapping algorithms have been implemented to inform strategic safety policies and procedures across the UK’s 4,300-mile strategic road network. Over the past two decades, Professor Quddus has led and co-led research projects totalling more than £12.2 million, funded by UKRI, the European Commission, government bodies, and industry partners. He has directed large-scale research programmes, including a mini-CDT, and served on international research committees such as the Transportation Research Board (Washington, DC), while also contributing as an editor of leading peer-reviewed journals, including Transportation Research Part C: Emerging Technologies. To date, he has supervised over 40 doctoral and postdoctoral researchers and authored more than 140 peer-reviewed journal publications.

Prof. Quddus's Lecture

Group Photo - DTL Speaker Prof. Quddus, ITS Director Prof. WY Szeto, and DTLS Committee Chair Dr. Fangni Zhang

Group Photo - Prof. Quddus, Prof. WY Szeto, Dr. Fangni Zhang, and Ms Carmen Ng (Head of the Customer Experience Department of KMB,  Financial Sponsor Representative)

Group Photo - Prof. Quddus, Prof. WY Szeto, Dr. Fangni Zhang, and Mr Andy Pang (Chief Operations Data Studio Manager of MTR,  Financial Sponsor Representative)

Group Photo - Prof. Quddus, Prof. WY Szeto, Dr. Fangni Zhang, and Mr Mistral Sin (Planning Analytics Manager of CityBus,  Financial Sponsor Representative)

Group Photo - Prof. Quddus, Financial Sponsor Representatives, and ITS Fellows