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CUA Students 'Wheel Out' Thesis Project

By Warren Duffie

The Segway Human Transporter may not reinvent the wheel, but it could revolutionize the way Americans move about.

That's the premise of the joint master's degree thesis project undertaken by CUA students John Coplen and John Sage (both of whom received B.S. degrees in architecture from Catholic University in 2001). They believe the Segway — a two-wheeled personal transportation device unveiled in 2001 amid much hype and discussion — could ease the traffic congestion and pollution plaguing many cities.

"What we have in America today is a lot of suburban sprawl at the edges of our cities," Sage says. "Cities were originally built to be pedestrian friendly. But with our increasing reliance on the automobile, we're finding that there isn't enough urban space to accommodate so many cars, so traffic is becoming worse. We believe that the Segway can play a big part in reducing that congestion."


John Coplen takes the Segway for a test drive as Segway representative Rick Murphy looks on.

The pair presented their thesis project on how the invention could affect the design and use of American cities for a Dec. 13 thesis jury at CUA's Edward M. Crough Center for Architectural Studies. About 30 people attended, including a jury panel composed of Washington, D.C., and New York City architects, representatives from the Segway's manufacturer and educators from CUA, Howard University and the University of Maryland. (A Segway representative also visited CUA on Dec. 4 to demonstrate the machine.)

Though other universities have studied the Segway's mechanical parts, no one has devoted such an in-depth investigation to the machine's effects on urban planning and transportation patterns, says Terrance Williams, associate dean in the School of Architecture and Planning.

"Unfortunately, it's somewhat unusual to find students thinking outside the box as these two have," he says. "I'm hoping that some of our four-year students who sat in on this presentation will learn to think that way. The job opportunities these young men will have are far more than those of the typical master's thesis student."

The Segway is the brainchild of Dean Kamen, a New Hampshire inventor who rose to fame with several high-profile medical creations. These include the pre-loaded auto-syringe, which enables a patient to give himself an exact dose of medicine when needed; a portable, self-serve kidney dialysis machine the size of a VCR; and several types of heart stents, one of which resides in Vice President Richard Cheney.

Resembling an old-fashioned lawn mower, the 65-pound Segway is an electronically powered transportation device. Relying on computerized tilt sensors, the machine mimics the human body's ability to maintain its balance. Riders can control speed and direction by shifting their weight and using a turning knob on the left handlebar. Lean forward and you go forward; lean back and you go backwards; stand straight and you stop. The machine, which takes up about the same amount of space as a person (3.2 square feet), can hit a speed of 12 miles per hour and can travel 15 miles on a six-hour charge from a regular wall socket.

There are two Segway machines available — the consumer version (which costs around $3,000) and the industrial model. The latter weighs 85 pounds, costs around $8,000 and is designed for hauling cargo. The U.S. Postal Service, the National Parks Service, General Electric and Amazon.com are currently testing that model.

Coplen and Sage have worked on several class projects together. Known as "John Squared," the duo is strikingly different in appearance: Sage is small, with a horse-racing jockey's frame; Coplen stands well over six feet and is built like a tight end.

During the fall 2001 semester — their first as graduate students — the pair was in Associate Dean Williams' Urban Design Studio class. That December, Kamen unveiled the Segway on ABC's "Good Morning America" and the students caught a glimpse of the machine, which was being hyped as "bigger than the Internet." At their next class meeting Coplen and Sage decided (at Williams' encouragement) to undertake a thesis project on the Segway.

"We were already doing a class project on urban planning, taking the focus away from the car and placing it on walking or public transportation," Coplen remembers. "When we saw the Segway, we thought, 'Imagine the potential of this product in American cities, where our society has planned ourselves to the point where the automobile is an absolute necessity.' "

The thesis project was divided into two areas: research and design. The research, done during the spring 2002 semester, involved studying how historic transportation variables (e.g., pedestrians, streetcars, automobiles, horse-drawn carriages or a subway train system) affected a city's growth. Several cities that best exemplified those variables were studied. For example, Rome was chosen for the pedestrian's role and Bethesda, Md., for the Metrorail, Sage says.

With the research under their belt, the students entered the design phase — selecting a city to investigate the Segway's possible impact — last semester. Coplen and Sage chose an area close to their academic home: Old Town Alexandria. The city is ideal, they say, because it's pedestrian-friendly, with stores, restaurants and art galleries on many of its blocks — and because traffic is a nightmare. During rush hour, King Street, the city's main artery, is glutted with cars and parking is scarce.


	The Segway provided a popular diversion in the Crough Center.

The students' goal was to determine how a Segway could affect a person's travel time in a four-mile radius that includes downtown Alexandria, three Metrorail stops and Potomac Yard, where residential housing and a huge mall are slated to be built. They computed that while a typical person could walk a city block in five minutes and walk a half-mile in 20 minutes, with the Segway the traveling times were slashed to one minute and five minutes, respectively. This is more efficient than driving, Coplen says, because car travel depends on traffic flow and speed limits. Segways would travel on sidewalks or in special lanes built along a street so that they and normal traffic could coexist peacefully. (Think of the bicycle lanes currently used in many cities.)

Aside from improved travel time and increased travel range, the decrease in rush-hour traffic in a Segway-dominated city would eliminate the need for so many parking garages, providing more room for parks, gardens, apartments and townhouses. The students produced a series of drawings incorporating Segways into residential design; for example, townhouse complexes might no longer need three- or four-floor garages to provide parking for their residents. One- or two-floor areas could be set aside for cars, and a lobby-like space could be reserved for Segways (which can also be stored in one's apartment).

The students say the new device will provide another benefit: safety. Think of European cities where people primarily enter and leave through a building's front door. The streets have many people on them, so one can feel safe coming home at night. Compare that to residents in American cities, who primarily enter and exit through dark parking garages, bypassing the front door.

"If you walk around Rome at 2 or 3 in the morning, you're not that worried about getting jumped or killed because there are always people around," Coplen explains. "If you're in D.C. at that time, you're watching your back.

"The Segway's not trying to replace the car," he says, "but there's a place for the car, and that's suburbia. In a city, pedestrians should rule the street, because there's no room for so many cars, and it's time-consuming to find parking."

"What impressed me the most about the students was their knowledge of transportation and what's appropriate in an urban environment," says Brian Toohey, a Segway executive. "We've spoken with many urban planners about our product, but these two students are by far the most advanced in knowledge of the transportation element."

The students' presentation seemed successful. The jury members praised the project and offered advice on how to improve it. Though most of them don't believe the Segway will replace the automobile anytime soon, they were intrigued by its potential.

"Parking is always a problem in a historic and dense urban area," says Al Cox, formerly Alexandria's chief architect, who was a jury member. "I'm anxious to see how such a device will be used in a historic area, with the tree wells and building stoops."

Toohey, who was unable to attend the Dec. 13 presentation, says Segway plans to use the students' data when giving presentations to city officials.

"We're always looking for people who can be visionary, and these guys know our technology and have come up with a comprehensive urban study," he says. "I lived in D.C. for 15 years and had several friends who attended Catholic. Its students tend to be some of the most innovative, and that's certainly true in this case."