Department of Geography and Planning

Education

• Ph.D., Geographical Information Sciences, University of Cincinnati, 2020
• M.S., Geography & Geographical Information Sciences, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, 2014
• B.S., Geographical Information Sciences, Shandong Normal University, 2011

Research Interests

My research interests are in understanding and analyzing how urban transport systems shape accessibility within the urban environment and how these elements collectively affect the activities and daily lives of residents, utilizing geocomputing techniques to assess their impact. One of my primary research goals is to analyze current transport systems and explore improvements to provide better services to residents and visitors by enhancing accessibility, safety, affordability, and timeliness. Additionally, I am interested in examining gender disparities in transportation, seeking to understand and address the unique challenges faced by different demographic groups in urban mobility.  

Publications

Yao, Z., Blumenberg, E., & Wander, M. (2024). Sex Differences in Child Care Travel. Transport Findings.

Blumenberg, E., Wander, M., & Yao, Z. (2024). Decisions & distance: The relationship between child care access and child care travel. Journal of Transport Geography, 114, 103756. 

Blumenberg, E., Yao, Z., & Wander, M. (2023). Variation in child care access across neighborhood types: A two-stepfloating catchment area (2SFCA) approach. Applied Geography, 158, 103054.

Li, J., Kim, C., Cuadros, D., Yao, Z., & Jia, P. (2023). Changes of Grocery Shopping Frequencies and Associations with Food Deserts during the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United States. Journal of Urban Health, 1-12.

Yao, Z., & Kim, C. (2022). Analyzing the multiscale patterns of jobs-housing balance and employment self-containment by different income groups using LEHD data: A case study in the Cincinnati metropolitan area. Computers, Environment and Urban Systems, 96, 101851

Yao, Z., & Kim, C. (2019). The Changes of Urban Structure and Commuting: An Application to Metropolitan Statistical Areas in the United States. International Regional Science Review, 42(1), 3-30.