TRB's 7th International Conference on Women and Gender in Transportation
Power to Pedal: A Study of Women's Barriers to Cycling in Oakland
For her Master's thesis at UC Berkeley, Nelson\Nygaard's Mallika Gupta examined the barriers to cycling for women of color in the Bay Area, for which she received research grants from the Pacific Southwest Region: University Transportation Center and the California Planning Foundation (North Chapter). Through this research, Mallika examined how the overemphasis on building neutral infrastructure that excludes the social, cultural, and psychological barriers impacting women’s accessibility leads to the reproduction of gendered power hierarchies even within ‘equitable’ transportation systems.
Mallikais passionate about improving safe access to affordable and sustainable transportation for socially vulnerable and historically underserved communities. Mallika’s strengths include data visualization, multi-lingual storytelling, and inclusive community engagement that helps involve diverse voices into planning and designing pedestrian, bicycle, and transit infrastructure.