== September 12-13, 2017 ==

By Emily F. Keller

Thaisa Way, Executive Director of Urban@UW and a Professor of Landscape Architecture at the University of Washington, spoke at the Cascadia Innovation Corridor Conference about CUAC and other urban data research projects on housing and homelessness, transportation, and land use. Thaisa presented a new video by UBC Studios showcasing CUAC’s vision and projects, including Data Science for Social Good programs.

Dr. Way spoke about the importance of transparency and accountability in data science, sustained and interdisciplinary research, and considering impacts on vulnerable communities. “Urban systems do not stop at city boundaries but extend across regions,” she noted.

Teams from the Data Science for Social Good programs at the University of Washington’s eScience Institute and the University of British Columbia’s Data Science Institute presented posters showcasing their projects on transportation planning and analysis, education, equitable futures, investment in tourism assets, traffic circling and economic development.

The two-day conference, hosted by Microsoft, the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, the Business Council of British Columbia and the Washington Roundtable, marked the second annual gathering of business, academic and government leaders from the Seattle and Vancouver metropolitan areas. Discussions focused on programs and strategies for advancing the region’s innovation, mobility, health and education.

The Cascadia Urban Analytics Cooperative is a Microsoft-funded initiative established earlier this year as part of the Cascadia Innovation Corridor, which was launched in September 2016. New Cascadia Innovation Corridor initiatives presented at the conference include:

• A feasibility study for high-speed rail travel in the region.
• The University of British Columbia joins the Global Innovation Exchange, with founding partners the University of Washington and Tsinghua University in Beijing.
• Plans to launch the Seattle-Vancouver Financial Innovation Network later this year.