Beverly Ward
Title: Director for Ethnography and Transport Systems
Specialty: Planning and policy analysis, social or community impact assessment, spatial anthropology, specialized transportation, and transportation demand management.
Contact Information:
Center for Urban Transportation and Research USF College of Engineering
MHC 2424
Phone: (813) 974-9773
E-mail this USF Collaborative Partner
Details:
Topics of expertise:
Planning and policy analysis, social or community impact assessment, spatial anthropology, specialized transportation, and transportation demand management.
Educational and professional background:
B. A., Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York, major in Psychology and Film/Drama; M.P.A., University of Alabama at Birmingham, concentrations: Organizational Management and Urban Planning and Design. Ph. D., Applied Anthropology, University of South Florida, Tampa; Major professional background includes: Transportation Director, Office of Senior Citizens’ Activities, Birmingham, Alabama; Assistant Director, Alabama Transit Association, Birmingham; Co-Principal Investigator, Alabama Transit Association Group Transportation Insurance Feasibility Study; Principal Investigator, Alabama Rural Transit Assistance Program; Project Coordinator, State Rail Passenger Test Market, Alabama Transit Association, Birmingham; Co-Principal Investigator, Alabama Transit Association Group Insurance Program. Sponsor: Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs, 1989-1991.
Have you ever had a USF Collaborative grant? If so, what did you learn from it?
“I was Principal Investigator, Job Training Activities and Opportunities and Transportation Among WAGES Participants. The sponsor was the USF Collaborative for Children, Families, and Communities. I learned that the availability of transportation may limit the ability of families in welfare transition programs to participate in job training activities and employment searches.” “I was also Principal Investigator for the Tampa Metropolitan Area Comparative Population Study for the University Center for Scholarship in Action. Early findings suggest significant population growth away from the central core of the city of Tampa between 1990 and 2000. Additional study will include analyses of economic changes and exploration of two changes in two neighborhoods.”
What types of research have you done about children and families?
“Several studies have explored the availability of transportation for families in welfare transition programs. These include statewide, national, and local studies. Two statewide studies identified transportation support provided by local welfare agencies and efforts to coordinate with transportation providers. A white paper developed for the National Urban Transit Institute, Research and Special Programs Administration, U. S. Department of Transportation, explored the transportation needs of families in welfare transition programs. A course also was developed through a University Community Initiative grant on public transportation policy and travel issues of low-income persons. (The course was first offered in Fall 2001.) “For the past six years, my general research focus on impact assessment of transportation actions has included assessing the impacts on children and families, particularly as related to environmental justice, safety, and mobility and access.”
Give us some news you can use:
“The findings in the USF Collaborative project suggest that in order to “work-first,” families need reliable transportation, including different modes of travel.”
What have you learned from your research that you wish every professional knew?
“It is necessary to understand the user’s needs before providing a solution.” What have you learned from your research that you wish every student knew? “Access and mobility to basic goods and services is a public health issue.”
What do you think is the biggest issue in your field right now and how would you address it?
“The need to understand the growing mobility needs of our aging and diverse population. I would address it by conducting more applied research to understand the breadth of the diversity of the target population. From these findings, I would investigate how land use decisions may improve access and mobility.”
