Sara Tabibian '26 with background of road map of Utica, NY.
This summer, I had the opportunity to work as an Upstate Institute Fellow with The Center in Utica, N.Y. The Center has resettled over 16,000 individuals and provides a variety of support services for refugees. Making up 22% of Utica's population, resettled individuals have helped to revitalize the once-dying city and boost the local economy.
Despite this now flourishing economy, transportation remains a significant barrier to mobility, making daily tasks such as grocery shopping and commuting to work difficult and time-consuming. Unreliable transit access, characterized by delays, long ride times, and limited routes, has been a persistent issue in Utica. Language barriers further complicate navigation. These challenges can result in missed job opportunities, medical appointments, and educational programs, and a slower integration into the community. Improving transit services supports refugee independence and strengthens the city’s economy and community ties.
My role this summer was to evaluate these transit barriers and provide recommendations for The Center’s grant writer. I combined interviews, surveys, data visualization, and GIS mapping to understand refugee transportation needs. The goal was to understand how transportation barriers affect refugees’ daily lives and develop targeted recommendations. The final deliverable was a recommendation report highlighting my methods, interview and survey results, and recommendations. These recommendations included suggestions for bus stop signage translations, increased bus frequency, more hands-on training classes teaching people to ride the bus, recruitment of refugees to be a part of Centro’s workforce, and more.
The results of the project will be used by the grant writer at The Center to apply for more funding and hopefully inform policy changes at the local level. The report was shared with Herkimer-Oneida Counties Transportation Council (HOCTC) and Centro, which is Utica's bus system.
I will be forever grateful to the Upstate Institute for providing me with this fantastic and enriching experience. I hope this project helps inspire continued investment in equitable transit access for all Uticans.
A special thank you to Myongsun for all her support and for organizing the various geography department BBQs throughout the summer.