module
  Cat.Instances.Comma.Univalent
  {xo xℓ yo yℓ zo zℓ}
  {X : Precategory xo xℓ} {Y : Precategory yo yℓ} {Z : Precategory zo zℓ}
  (F : Functor Y X) (G : Functor Z X)
  (xuniv : is-category X)
  (yuniv : is-category Y)
  (zuniv : is-category Z)
  where

Comma categories preserve univalence🔗

Theorem. Let YFXGZ\mathcal{Y} \xrightarrow{F} \mathcal{X} \xleftarrow{G} \mathcal{Z} be a cospan of functors between three univalent categories. Then the comma category FGF \downarrow G is also univalent.

It suffices to establish that, given an isomorphism f:oof : o \cong o' in FGF \downarrow G, one gets an identification fˆ:oo\^f : o \equiv o', over which ff is the identity map. Since Y\mathcal{Y} and Z\mathcal{Z} are both univalent categories, we get (from the components fαf_\alpha, fβf_\beta of ff) identifications fˆα:oxox\^f_\alpha : o_x \equiv o'_x and fˆβ:oyoy\^f_\beta : o_y \equiv o'_y.

Comma-is-category : is-category (F ↓ G)
Comma-is-category = record { to-path = objs ; to-path-over = maps } where
  module _ {ob ob'} (isom : F↓G.Isomorphism ob ob') where
    module isom = F↓G.__ isom

    x-is-x : ob .x Y.≅ ob' .x
    y-is-y : ob .y Z.≅ ob' .y

    x-is-x = Y.make-iso (isom.to .α) (isom.from .α) (ap α isom.invl) (ap α isom.invr)
    y-is-y = Z.make-iso (isom.to .β) (isom.from .β) (ap β isom.invl) (ap β isom.invr)

Observe that, over fˆα\^f_\alpha and fˆβ\^f_\beta, the map components omo_m and omo'_m are equal (we say “equal” rather than “identified” because Hom-sets are sets). This follows by standard abstract nonsense: in particular, functors between univalent categories respect isomorphisms in a strong sense (F-map-path).

This lets us reduce statements about FF and GG’s object-part action on paths to statements about their morphism parts F1F_1, G1G_1 on the components of the isomorphisms fαf_\alpha and fβf_\beta. But then we have

G1(fβ)omF1(fα1)=omF1(fα)F1(fα1)=omF1(fαfα1)=om, \begin{split} G_1(f_\beta) o_m F_1(f_\alpha^{-1}) &= o'_m F_1(f_\alpha) F_1(f_\alpha^{-1}) \\ &= o'_m F_1(f_\alpha f_\alpha^{-1}) \\ &= o'_m\text{,} \end{split}

so over these isomorphisms the map parts become equal, thus establishing an identification ooo \equiv o'.

    objs : ob ≡ ob'
    objs i .x = yuniv .to-path x-is-x i
    objs i .y = zuniv .to-path y-is-y i
    objs i .map = lemma' i where
      lemma' : PathP  i  X.Hom (F.(objs i .x)) (G.(objs i .y)))
                (ob .map) (ob' .map)
      lemma' = transport
         i  PathP  j  X.Hom (F-map-path yuniv xuniv F x-is-x (~ i) j)
                                  (F-map-path zuniv xuniv G y-is-y (~ i) j))
                    (ob .map) (ob' .map)) $
        Univalent.Hom-pathp-iso xuniv $
          X.pulll   (sym (isom.to .sq))
          X.cancelr (F.annihilate (ap α isom.invl))

It still remains to show that, over this identification, the isomorphism ff is equal to the identity function. But this is simply a matter of pushing the identifications down to reach the “leaf” morphisms.

    maps : PathP  i  ob F↓G.≅ objs i) _ isom
    maps = F↓G.≅-pathp _ _
      (↓Hom-pathp _ _ (Univalent.Hom-pathp-reflr-iso yuniv (Y.idr _))
                      (Univalent.Hom-pathp-reflr-iso zuniv (Z.idr _)))