Luis Valente

Luis Valente is a Master of Urban and Regional Planning student with a concentration in transportation policy and planning. Motivated by his own experience riding public transportation systems while growing up in Southeast Los Angeles — where these systems served as a lifeline and gateway to opportunities and resources — he is determined to make these systems more reliable, safe and efficient.

His research interests center around transportation equity and mobility justice, and he is particularly interested in leveraging partnerships and infrastructure investments to ensure communities have access to vital resources. As a graduate student researcher with the UCLA Center for Neighborhood Knowledge, Luis also supports a project with the Reconnecting Communities Pilot (RCP) program, which seeks to understand best practices for redressing harms inflicted on marginalized communities by divisive transportation infrastructure.

Upon graduation, Luis hopes to pursue a career in public service and planning, working alongside community members, transit riders and other stakeholders to develop holistic policies and practices that address mobility and access needs.

Project Overview

“To what extent can quick-build, low-cost wayfinding and lighting interventions enhance perceptions of safety and accessibility at and around transit stations/hubs in Los Angeles?” That question is at the heart of my capstone project, which investigates how specific design elements can address safety and accessibility issues at bus and rail stations throughout Greater Los Angeles.

The project leverages investments and existing planning efforts for the 2028 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games, and will provide recommendations for improving the transit experience, especially for people who use transit at night. Built around LADOT’s Integrated Mobility Hubs (IMH) project rollout, the capstone employs a mixed-methods research design including surveys and evaluations of a temporary design intervention to inform policy and design recommendations.

Why is this topic, specifically, important to you?

This project has important implications for transportation equity. Nighttime transit users are more likely to be low income, and the risks they face are exacerbated by characteristics like race and gender. It also has deep personal significance. Having grown up in a transit-dependent community in Southeast Los Angeles, this project reflects my experiences and those of my friends and family, providing further motivation to improve safety and accessibility for transit users.

Who are the partners involved in this project and how will you be working with them?

My client is the Los Angeles Department of Transportation. Given the project’s regional scope, collaboration between LADOT and the LA Metro will support the implementation of temporary interventions as well as data collection and analysis. As the project moves forward, other City of Los Angeles staff may be involved in the project as well.

How do you hope that this project will impact the field moving forward?

Researchers and policymakers often overlook the experiences and needs of nighttime transit users, prioritizing instead riders who use transportation systems during the day and peak projects. I hope this project will meaningfully contribute to the emerging literature regarding nighttime riders and inform policy and design interventions to improve travel conditions for all transportation users.