About this Community of Interest

Transportation Planning and Policy Research

Not only does the transportation system provide for the mobility of people and goods, it also influences patterns of growth and economic activity by providing access to communities. The performance of the system affects public policy concerns like air quality, environmental resource consumption, social equity, land use, urban growth, economic development, safety, and security.  Thus, transportation planning and policy research is aimed at recognizing and better understanding the critical links between transportation and other societal goals to include:

• Developing strategies for operating, managing, maintaining, and financing the nation’s transportation system in such a way as to advance the nation’s long-term goals and vision of the 21^st century transportation enterprise.
• Conducting research on road pricing, congestion management, and other strategies for making more efficient use of transportation infrastructure.
• Conducting research on innovative finance, privatization, and public-private partnerships.
• Conducting research on economic impact of transportation investments and disruptions to the transportation systems.
• Conducting research on rural passenger transportation accessibility.
• Conducting research on economic impacts of transportation security measures.
• Conducting research to improve the quality of economic data and analytical methodologies available for transportation policymaking.
• Developing new forecasting methods for future population and employment growth, including assessing projected land uses in regions and identifying major growth corridors.
• Identifying current and projected future transportation problems and needs and analyzing, through detailed planning studies, various transportation improvement strategies to address those needs.
• Developing long-range plans and short-range programs of alternative capital improvement and operational strategies for moving people and goods.
• Estimating the impact of recommended future improvements to the transportation system on environmental features, including air quality.