What's New in Planning and Forecasting

The gaps between economic growth and transportation infrastructure development are assessed in Promoting Environmental Justice Populations' Access to Opportunities with Suburban Boomtowns: An Interdisciplinary Mixed-Methods Approach to Addressing Infrastructure Needs , a report from the University of Texas at Arlington. This report is intended to inform public policies that support targeted tra...

Local policymaking in California that supports transit-oriented development is identified in Planning and Policymaking for Transit-Oriented Development, Transit, and Active Transport in California Cities , a report from the Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California at Davis. This report aims to assess motivations, perceived obstacles, and priorities for development nea...

Bicycling comfort and its relationship with socio-demographics, bicycling attitudes, and bicycling behavior are analyzed in Making Bicycling Comfortable: Identifying Minimum Infrastructure Needs by Population Segments Using a Video Survey , a report from the National Center for Sustainable Transportation at the University of California at Davis. Understanding what environments are comfortable a...

TRB invites your attendance and participation in the Sustainability and Emerging Transportation Technology (SETT) Conference on August 31 – September 2, 2020, at the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center in Irvine, CA. The conference, themed Shaping the Future of Mobility, will address questions around how policy-makers, the private sector, and others can work together to support transportation innov...

What is a significant contribution you think that TRB has made to transportation and why? Please submit your responses in to this month's question by February 29, 2020. TRB welcomes all stories: small or large, profound or light-hearted, sobering or humorous. The TRB “Tell Us ‘Our’ Story" centennial activity is designed to allow as many of you (TRB’s volunteers and friends) as possible to part...

If you work in the transportation industry, you probably have a plan for the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). After all, part of the service you provide depends on the ability to keep people safe and healthy regardless of their travel plans. A growing list of airlines and governments have banned flights from China. Fortunately airports, airlines, first responders, and local health officials a...

A crowdsourcing method for engaging targeted users of bicycle and pedestrian facilities in Virginia is developed in Improving Inventory of and Investment in Bicycle and Pedestrian Facilities Through Targeted Public Outreach , a report from the Virginia Department of Transportation. The goal of the report is to improve the existing inventory and meet the data needs for investment prioritization.

Identifying right-sizing opportunities in the transportation sector can lead to social and economic value by repurposing, reusing, or fundamentally resizing existing transportation system assets. TRB is hosting a webinar on Wednesday, March 11, from 2:00 to 3:30 PM Eastern that will explore how to right-size transportation investments. Right-sizing involves asset management and system plan...

Measuring equity holistically can be approached in several ways in the field of transportation. TRB is hosting a webinar on Thursday, March 19, from 2:00 to 3:30 PM Eastern that will explore how agencies can define and address disparity as they relate to emerging technologies and new transportation modes. The presenters will share tools, methods, and approaches that can scale to statewide and ...

The Standing Technical Committee on Environmental Analysis in Transportation has a rich history of sharing information across boundaries to forward the practice of planning, building, and maintaining environmentally thoughtful transportation solutions. To learn more about the history of the Standing Technical Committee on Environmental Analysis in Transportation (ADC10), check out the Committee...

TRB turns 100 on November 11, 2020. You are invited to join your colleagues listed below who have contributed to the TRB Century Club to support activities that will mark the anniversary; promote the value of transportation research; and celebrate the achievements of TRB’s volunteers, sponsors, affiliates, and staff. Details on the Century Club and a link to contribute is available at https://...

HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROFILES-Gloria J. Jeff This is a reprint of an article that appeared in the Profiles section of the May/June 1993 issue of the TR News. As part of TRB’s year-long centennial celebration and in commemoration of Black History Month, TRB is reprinting select profiles of African Americans that appeared in past issues of the TR News. TR New Profiles recognize volunteers for their ...

The impacts of Smart Growth are examined in Understanding Smart Growth Savings: Evaluating Economic Savings and Benefits of Compact Development , a report from the Victoria Transport Policy Institute in Canada. This report defines Smart Growth, investigates consumer preferences, and evaluates Smart Growth criticisms.

The impacts of autonomous vehicles (AVs) and their implications on planning issues are explored in Autonomous Vehicle Implementation Predictions: Implications for Transport Planning , a report from the Victoria Transport Policy Institute in Canada. This report investigates how quickly AVs are likely to develop and be deployed; their likely benefits and costs; and how they are likely to affect t...

The leadership and volunteer contributions of Dr. Mary R. Brooks, Dr. Jon A. Epps, Timothy A. Henkel, Dr. Daniel Turner, Dr. Patricia L. Mokhtarian, Keith Killough, James Winebrake, Hyun-A Park, Michael F. Trentacoste, and Bruce M. Smith are recognized by TRB and the National Academies. Every year, over 7,000 dedicated individuals serve without compensation on study and oversight committees or ...

Examples of transformational technologies—many are discussed in technical and popular media—include wireless telecommunications, shared vehicles, connected vehicles, fully autonomous vehicles, alternative-fuel vehicles, smart cities and communities, big data analytics, internet-of-things, as well as UAVs or drones, 3-D printing, and more. Public agencies face significant challenges continuing t...

How can airports be more sustainable? Airport personnel, regulators, airport consultants, and airport tenants are invited to a TRB webinar on Monday, March 2, 2020, from 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM Eastern to find out. The webinar will discuss ways in which airports use sustainability initiatives to increase economic viability, enhance social equity, improve operational efficiency, and conserve natural ...

As you determine your career path, are you looking for something that is on the cutting edge of technology? Or are you more interested in creating solutions for those in need? Are you ready to take the next step to save the planet? The transportation industry needs people who are passionate about making a difference and changing society. Have you seen TRB’s new video, Your future in transportat...

TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) has issued a request for proposals to (1.) develop a comprehensive strategic approach and action plan to coordinate the risk management activities that AASHTO committees and councils, TRB committees, and FHWA can use to guide their future activities, and (2.) develop a long-term risk management Research Roadmap that will guide future r...

Although the bicycle inspired the Good Roads Movement in the late 19th century, bicycling received little more than an occasional aside during the Highway Research Board’s first 50 years. Then came another bicycle boom. By 1973, the sale of bicycles for adults had more than tripled in a decade, spurred on by new lightweight, multispeed bicycles; the environmental movement; the oil crisis; and i...

University Research Should Be Stimulus To Future Engineers, Says Delon Hampton This is a reprint of an article that appeared in the Highway Research Profiles section of the Winter 1972 issue of the Highway Research News (HR News), the predecessor to today’s Transportation Research News (TR News). It is being reprinted as part of the TRB Centennial Celebration. During Black History Month, TRB w...

The TRB Centennial Book is available for purchase in ebook or print format. In The Transportation Research Board, 1920–2020: Everyone Interested Is Invited , author Sarah Jo Peterson tells the story of how people and institutions created and have continued to shape TRB. In a compelling narrative accompanied by more than 150 images exploring the history of transportation and research, she argues...

According to Magnus Quarshi, CEO, Delin Consult Limited, Ghana "I have been attending TRB since 2013. The technical sessions have contributed immensely to my knowledge and skills with which I have consequently contributed to the quality of life and safety in my country, Ghana.I have been attending TRB since 2013. The technical sessions have contributed immensely to my knowledge and skills with...

The U.S. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)’s Office of Planning, Environment and Realty has released its quarterly  newsletter that highlights new events and research. This edition features: Nature-based solutions for coastal highway resistance Women's safety and security on transit Research highlights Upcoming events

TRB is co-sponsoring the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) 2020 International Conference on Transportation and Development on May 26-28, 2020 in Seattle, WA. The conference will bring together researchers, designers, project/construction managers, and contractors from around the world to discuss transportation and development projects ranging from airports to rail to highways, and mult...

A primary goal of the Standing Technical Committee on Aviation Economics and Forecasting, that continues to this day, is to help inform the FAA’s annual forecast of aviation activity. The findings of the FAA forecast are especially important for predicting the financial needs of the air traffic control system (ATC) and feed directly into the annual federal budget process. The FAA forecast in tu...

The January 12 - 16, 2020 TRB Annual Meeting generated headlines, podcasts, and video from the various press on hand to cover more than 5,000 presentations in nearly 800 sessions and workshops. Catch up on your reading, watching, and listening!   Video   C SPAN 2020 Transportation Policy Agenda   Automation Technology and Transportation      DC Department of Transp...

Presentations from the 2020 Annual Meeting are now available on the interactive program . To see presentations, log into the program, then search for the session you are interested in.  If approved for posting by the speaker, the presentations are listed under the scheduled presentations towards the bottom of the page. Click the ‘View Presentation’ button to view. (If there is no pres...

The breadth of new mobility services and e-commerce delivery in cities is assessed in Emerging Technologies and Cities: Assessing the Impacts of New Mobility on Cities , a report from the University of Oregon. New technologies including autonomous vehicles, e-commerce, and the sharing economy have profound effects on how people live, move, and spend time in cities, as well as on urban development.

Transit-priority projects seek to improve transit service quality and mobility and to increase transit ridership. The TRB Transit Cooperative Research Program's TCRP Research Report 208: Strategic Communications to Improve Support for Transit-Priority Projects: Report and Toolkit presents and analyzes the communication approaches used by cities and transit agencies in the delivery of transit-pr...