Professor Yingling Fan, an urban and regional planning expert, wants to transform the way we experience transportation. With the help of residents in the Twin Cities metro area, Fan has developed an innovative “Transportation Happiness Map” that captures the positive emotions tied to biking, reliable public transportation, safe and scenic paths, and avoiding traffic behind the wheel. 

Fan’s decade-long, community-based research supports the idea that the way we commute can have a big impact on our feelings of well-being.