Summary: A geography professor at Ben-Gurion University in Israel, Dr. Eran Ben-Elia has devoted the bulk of his research to studying people's parking and traffic habits. A niche field, for sure. He has turned his laboratory into an arcade. He believes that video games are unique ways to test his theories. Visitors to his lab strap on virtual reality glasses, sit down in front of a steering wheel and are instantly transported to a city street. He watches as they make parking and traffic decisions in critical environments. Is there a way to make people's commutes to work less traffic-clogged? We visited Ben-Elia's lab to find out more about his research and to find out the answer to that existential question: is there such a thing as a perfect parking space? For show notes, please visit www.ourfriendfromisrael.com.
