Kate Lowe

Kate Lowe is an Associate Professor in the Department of Urban Planning and Policy at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), housed in the College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs (CUPPA). She maintains an active research and public engagement profile focused on transportation policy and equity issues in Chicago and beyond.

Dr. Lowe's research centers on transportation at the intersection of policy, funding, and mobility justice. Her work examines how varied stakeholders and transportation policies interact across different levels of government and how this impacts transportation investments and racial inequities. She conducts qualitative research on lived experiences of mobility and accessibility for low-income populations and Black and Brown communities. Her scholarship addresses critical issues including transit funding shortfalls, service recovery post-pandemic, and transportation equity for vulnerable populations.

Her recent publications demonstrate a consistent focus on Chicago's public transit challenges, particularly the $730 million funding gap facing regional transit agencies and its disproportionate impact on low-income communities. Her work analyzes the relationship between service levels and ridership recovery, noting that "Ridership in Chicago has not recovered the way it has in, for example, Washington, D.C., and a big factor in that is that our service levels aren't up to what they were pre-pandemic."

Dr. Lowe has been particularly active in advocating for transportation equity policies, most notably her co-authored op-ed calling for free public transit passes for Chicago Public Schools students, highlighting that over 70% of CPS students come from very low-income households where even the discounted 75-cent fare creates significant financial barriers.

Her educational background includes a Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning from Cornell University, an M.A. in Community Development and Planning from Clark University, and a B.A. in Cultural Anthropology from Bard College, providing her with a strong interdisciplinary foundation for her transportation equity research.