Jason Cao

Areas of Expertise

Travel behavior analysis; land use and transportation interactions; telecommunication and travel; congestion pricing; neighborhood design and physical activity

Biography

Jason Cao is an assistant professor with the regional policy and planning area. His current research mainly focuses on land-use and transportation planning in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. He seeks to answer interrelated questions about how transportation investments influence urban development, how land-use patterns shape individuals’ behavior, and how land-use and transportation policies can be used to mitigate traffic congestion and improve our environment.

Cao previously worked as an associate research fellow with the Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute at North Dakota State University. His work has appeared in journals spanning urban planning, public health, and transportation. He has been published in Environment and Planning, Journal of the American Planning Association, American Journal of Health Promotion, Transportation Research, and others.

Cao received an M.S. in statistics and a Ph.D. in civil and environment engineering with a specialization on transportation planning from the University of California-Davis. He earned bachelor's and master's degrees in civil engineering from Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. In 2006, he received the Wootan Award from the U.S. Council of University Transportation Centers for the best transportation policy/planning dissertation in the United States.

Curriculum Vitae (PDF)

Courses Taught

For syllabi for the current semester, view the University of Minnesota's Course Guide. For syllabi for public affairs classes for Fall 2007 or earlier, view the Humphrey Institute's course syllabi web page. Syllabi are available in alternative formats. Please send requests to Stacey Grimes, Humphrey Institute Office of the Associate Dean (grime004@umn.edu).

Go to the University of Minnesota One Stop website to apply for these and other public affairs courses.

No Fall 2009 courses.