Alyas Widita
Assistant Professor and Program Coordinator, Urban Design
- Accepting PhD students
Dr. Alyas Widita is an Assistant Professor at Monash University, Indonesia, where he serves as Course Coordinator for the Master of Urban Design program. His research advances understanding of urban and transportation systems through innovative methodological approaches, particularly applying quasi-experimental designs and spatial analysis to generate rigorous evidence for advancing urban scholarship in developing contexts.
Dr. Widita's research has generated significant knowledge contributions through three primary pathways: developing causal assessment frameworks for large-scale transportation investment, expanding methodologies for assessing emerging urban technology and mobility services integration, and advancing analytical techniques for understanding urban form-mobility interactions, encompassing the strands of literature on Transit-Oriented Development (TOD), 15-minute city, and walkability. His work has been published in leading journals including the Journal of Planning Education and Research, Travel Behaviour and Society, Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives, and Transportmetrica A: Transport Science.
As a practice- and policy-oriented researcher, Dr. Widita has consulted internationally with organizations including the World Bank and Korea Transport Institute. He has contributed to the World Bank's Global Report on Transformative Technologies in Transportation, and his work has secured funding through the Research Grant Bank Indonesia (RGBI) and multiple international collaborations.
Dr. Widita employs diverse methodological techniques encompassing advanced econometric approaches, spatial analysis, and big data analytics, integrated with critical understanding of local contexts. He holds a PhD in City and Regional Planning from Georgia Institute of Technology (United States).
More information
Dr. Widita maintains an active research pipeline aimed at advancing understanding of urban and transportation systems through innovative methodological approaches, with particular interests on developing contexts.
Selected publications:
- Widita, A. A. (2025). Influence of childhood experiences on walking behavior during adulthood: Long-term panel data analysis. Travel Behaviour and Society, 38, 100893. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tbs.2024.100893.
- Widita, A. A., Ikaputra, & Widyastuti, D. T. (2024). TOD-related features and station-level ridership: Insights from the Jakarta Metropolitan Area, Indonesia. Public Transport. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12469-024-00369-4.
- Widita, A. A., Welch, T., Rukmana, D., & Diwangkari, A. (2023). Impact of the MRT Jakarta on Congestion: Evidence from a Before-After, Treatment-Control Evaluation. Journal of Planning Education and Research. https://doi.org/10.1177/0739456X231174136.
- Widita, A. A., & Diwangkari, A. (2022). How disruptive is a disruption? The association between TNCs and vehicle ownership in urbanizing Indonesia. Case Studies on Transport Policy. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cstp.2022.01.017.
- Welch, T. F., Gehrke, S. R., & Widita, A. A. (2020). Shared-use mobility competition: A trip-level analysis of taxi, bikeshare, and transit mode choice in Washington, DC. Transportmetrica A: Transport Science, 16(1), 43–55. https://doi.org/10.1080/23249935.2018.1523250.
Research Interest
Dr. Alyas Widita's research focuses on advancing understanding of urban and transportation systems through innovative methodological approaches, particularly applying quasi-experimental designs and spatial analysis to generate rigorous evidence for advancing urban scholarship in rapidly changing contexts.
He has undertaken research across diverse urban environments from Southeast Asia to North America, and has a successful track record of applying causal inference methods and big data analytics to a broad range of cross-cutting areas including:
- Transportation infrastructure impact evaluation - assessing the causal effects of large-scale transit interventions on congestion, travel behavior, and spatial equity.
- Emerging mobility services integration - analyzing the complex relationships between ride-hailing platforms, traditional transportation modes, and urban sustainability
- Built environment and mobility interactions - understanding how urban form and spatial patterns shape accessibility, transportation choices, and travel behavior
He has contributed to securing competitive funding through multiple grants including Research Grant Bank Indonesia (RGBI), Monash University Indonesia Seed Grants, and international collaborative research initiatives.
Teaching
Dr. Alyas Widita serves as Course Coordinator for the Master of Urban Design program at Monash University Indonesia and teaches on the following units:
- Smart City Technologies - exploring the integration of digital technologies and critical explorations on data analytics in urban planning and development
- Urban Design Studio - hands-on design workshops focusing on sustainable and resilient urban environments
- Urban Spatial Reasoning - analytical approaches applied to urban systems
- Field Studies - experiential learning through direct engagement with urban environments and communities
Dr. Widita makes significant contributions to curriculum development and quality assurance, creating supportive learning environments that prepare students to address complex urban challenges through evidence-informed approaches.
- Monash University, Indonesia Students Showcase Urban Design Solutions for High-Speed Rail Development
- Analytics Reveal the Extent of Congestion Reduction Impact of the MRT Jakarta, Indonesia’s First Subway
- Successful Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Hinges Beyond Concentrating Population Density Around Transit Nodes, Study Shows
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