Tatum Hurley L&S Social Sciences
Mapping Accessibility in East Bay Public Transportation
Over 100,000 people rely on the Alameda County (AC) Transit system to move around the Bay Area every day. Yet, there is a notable lack of proper bus stop infrastructure to support riders, even as wait times can reach upwards of thirty minutes. I intend to perform a census of AC Transit bus stops in Berkeley and Oakland to collect data on amenities such as benches and shelters, and hostile architecture features such as bench obstructions. This project seeks to identify any patterns in the presence or absence of these attributes across neighborhoods in the East Bay. Grounded in the fields of Disability Studies, Ethnic Studies, and Black Ecology, my work aims to understand how the bus stop, a ubiquitous but often overlooked element of our lived environment, functions to other and exclude certain bodies from daily life.
Message To Sponsor
I want to extend my endless gratitude to the Wishek Fund for sponsoring my summer research project. My experience with SURF has transformed and strengthened both myself and my project. SURF has granted me the skills and support that I needed to think critically about my research, make adjustments, and confidently move forward. I am leaving this summer feeling much more focused and energized, and ready to complete my study in the fall. Thank you Wishek for supporting independent undergraduate research!