Center for Environmental Research & Technology

Dr. Shengxiao (Alex) Li | Assistant Professor, National University of Singapore

Date: Tuesday, February 17, 2026

Location: Hybrid, CE-CERT RM 105 & Zoom (Join Zoom Meeting; ID: 92417251057; Passcode: 292428)

Title: Transportation Decarbonization in the United States: From National Visions to Local and Regional Realities

Abstract: Nations across the globe have entered an era of electric vehicles, underpinned by substantial investment in infrastructure and incentives for consumers. However, the ways in which local and regional planning agencies integrate electric vehicles into urban planning systems remain largely unexplored. Scholars and practitioners also have limited insight into how electric vehicle policies fit within the broader policy landscape of transportation decarbonization at local and regional levels. Combining quantitative text analysis and content analysis, this presentation first examines how major Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) in the United States are planning for electric vehicles. It highlights key opportunities and challenges by analyzing long-range transportation plans from the 50 largest MPOs in the country. It then further investigates how multi-level governments—as well as transport and environmental agencies—coordinate efforts in planning for vehicle electrification and advancing wider transportation decarbonization agendas. It concludes with the presenter’s recent research on transportation decarbonization policies in global cities, illustrating varied strategies adopted across different continents.

Bio: Shengxiao (Alex) Li is an Assistant Professor in Urban Planning at the National University of Singapore (NUS). Prior to joining NUS, he held positions at the University of Oregon and University of California, Riverside. His research interests broadly cover transportation disadvantage with a focus on older people, planning instruments and local politics in reducing car dependence, and transportation governance and institutional challenges of decarbonization. He holds a PhD in City and Regional Planning from the University of Pennsylvania and obtained his master's and bachelor's degrees from Peking University, China.