I will be giving a Seminar in Civil and Materials Engineering  at University of Illinois at Chicago on October 3, 2014 at 11:00 AM. The Talk is in 1047 Engineering Research Facility (ERF).

The Transportation Experience: From Steamboats to Streetcars.

Abstract: The talk explores the historical evolution of transportation modes and technologies. It traces how systems are innovated, planned and adapted, deployed and expanded, and reach maturity, where they may either be maintained in a polished obsolesce often propped up by subsidies, be displaced by competitors, or be reorganized and renewed. An array of examples supports the idea that modern policies are built from past experiences. The planning (and control) of nonlinear, unstable processes is today’s central transportation problem, and that this is universal and true of all modes.

The talk is based in part on the book: The Transportation Experience