Graduate Application - Statement of Purpose

My love and desire for traffic modeling are multifaceted. My goal in life is to work for transport solutions all over the world. This desire did not come overnight, as I was challenged for the three years that I worked in urban development projects. It was very intriguing because of the fact that a good public transport that is accessible to all is a basic tool for the growth of the city. Maintaining the system of transit is challenging, and this reason challenged me to take on a course in transportation planning. Having lived in over ten different cities in India, I have had the experience of how transportation shapes the lives of people by either empowering or enslaving them. The significance of public transport in providing an equitable, accessible and reliant movement is undeniable. These reasons fuelled my decision to enroll in a second masters program in City and Regional Planning. By acquiring this knowledge, I can help in building resilience in the transportation system within India and in other cities, not just in India.

I currently hold a Bachelors degree in Civil Engineering and a Masters degree in Planning, with specialization in urban planning. This education background has been instrumental in inspiring my present scholastic interest in transportation planning. Furthermore, I have the zeal to equip myself with more skills in transportation modeling, financing, understanding travel behavior and other aspects of public transport. My previous course was in land use and environmental planning, but over time I realized I wanted to focus more on transport solutions. My training in city planning is insufficient for my career path, and it is for this reason that I require more quantitative understanding. I have experience in urban planning which I acquired from my first job as an urban planner in GITPAC, India. As it was a state government project, it helped me get insights into how bureaucracy functions, procedures, and hierarchies function. I also got a chance to present the work to the home minister and tourism minister of Kerala, thereafter getting an appreciation for innovativeness and feasibility of the plan.

My major goal is to institute the importance of public transit in city planning. This is because of the gap that I noticed during my work experience in that transport planning and integrated land use was not highly emphasized. Even though this was practiced, little importance was given to public transit as a mode of city transformation. In a research I intend to undertake, I would like to quantify the intangible and tangible benefits and the impact public transit creates. In this regard, I will find ways in which the share of city budget according to population and size is allocated for transit. This will be in relational to the willingness and behavioral patterns of the community to be studied. These goals have been invigorated by my collective experiences including writing in blogs, local newspapers and presentations with officials to create awareness on the importance of public transit. All these professional goals will be achieved only with the knowledge and skills that I will gain from the program offered in your University.

In addition, I am good with number and I pride myself as an excellent analyst. I showcased my strengths during my time as a research associate, where we designed a methodology and quantified the socio-economic inequity in the city. Though this was a demanding task, we were determined to show the authorities the ground situation for budget funding. In view of the foregoing, my deep interest in transport planning is self-evident. However, to become an efficient transport planner I require additional training in this area. The insights gleaned from this program would be vital in empowering me to generate sustainable solutions to the challenges affecting the public transport system in my home state of Kerala and across the entire nation of India. It is for this reason that I seek an opportunity to undertake my masters degree from