Research Projects | Transportation Research and Education Center

Bi-objective Optimization for Battery Electric Bus Deployment Considering Cost and Environmental Equity

Principal Investigator: Xiaoyue Cathy Liu

Co-Investigators: Aaron Golub , Ran Wei

Led by Xiaoyue Cathy Liu of the University of Utah, researchers have created a web-based modeling tool that enables U.S. transit providers to explore the impacts of changing over their systems to battery electric buses, or BEBs. The researchers ran ... Read More

National Scan of Bike Share Equity Programs

Principal Investigator: John MacArthur

Co-Investigators: Nathan McNeil , Joe Broach

As bike share systems around the United States have grown in number and size in recent years, there has been an increasing effort to ensure that those systems are accessible to all residents, particularly those who have the fewest resources or have b ... Read More

Suburban Black Poverty in East Portland: The Role of Transportation in Making Ends Meet

Principal Investigator: Steven Howland

Portland has faced a mass displacement of Black households from the historically segregated area of Albina through various phases of urban renewal, urban deterioration, and gentrification. A substantial number of them have moved to East Portland, a s ... Read More

S.T.E.A.M. TRAINing: Engaging High School Girls in Transportation and Equity Issues through GIS

Principal Investigator: Randy Morris

Co-Investigator: Nancee Hunter

The Institute of Portland Metropolitan Studies’ Community Geography program wishes to apply for a grant to develop the curriculum for a 1-2 week lab course in transportation-focused mapping and Geographic Information Systems (GIS), to be held in th ... Read More

Developing Data, Models, and Tools to Enhance Transportation Equity

Principal Investigator: Amy Lubitow

Co-Investigators: Julius McGee , Raoul Liévanos

Data from travel surveys are used to forecast demand, inform transportation investments, and craft urban policies. Because these data are so essential to shaping our transportation system, it is critical that hard-to-reach populations—such as low-i ... Read More

A Comprehensive Examination of Electronic Wayfinding Technology for Visually Impaired Travelers in an Urban Environment

Principal Investigator: Martin Swobodzinski

Co-Investigator: Amy Parker

Human wayfinding and navigation are key organizing activities that allow human beings to acquire knowledge about the environment and develop cognitive representations in support of such essential tasks as route planning and travel. These activities a ... Read More

Defining and Measuring Equitable Access to Washington Park in Portland, Oregon

Principal Investigator: Lisa Patterson

Co-Investigators: Marisa Zapata , Joe Broach

Photo by Brink Communications Explore Washington Park (EWP) is a 501c3 non-profit that serves as the Transportation Management Association for Washington Park. At 410 acres, Washington Park receives over 3 million visitors each year and is home to ... Read More

Understanding Economic and Business Impacts of Street Improvements for Bicycle and Pedestrian Mobility - A Multi-City Multi-Approach Exploration

Principal Investigator: Jenny Liu

Co-Investigator: Jennifer Dill

This NITC National project was the first phase of a research effort measuring the economic impacts of bicycle and pedestrian street improvements. See the findings, final report and other products on the Phase II project page: https://nitc.trec.pdx.ed ... Read More

Addressing Changing Demographics in Environmental Justice Analysis, State of Practice

Principal Investigator: Aaron Golub

Co-Investigator: Nathan McNeil

This report documents how metropolitan planning organizations (MPO), State departments of transportation (DOT), and other transportation agencies are adapting Environmental Justice (EJ) analysis techniques to understand transportation impacts in comm ... Read More

Life-Space Mobility and Aging in Place

Principal Investigator: Ivis Garcia

Co-Investigator: Alan DeLaTorre

Research on older adults frequently explores the notion of “aging in place”—providing older adults the opportunity to continue to live in their own homes and communities. However one’s ability to stay or leave, particularly in old age, often ... Read More

Evaluating and Enhancing Public Transit Systems for Operational Efficiency, Service Quality and Access Equity

Principal Investigator: Ran Wei

Co-Investigators: Liming Wang , Aaron Golub , Thomas Cova

Regular assessment and improvement of the performance of public transit systems are essential for transit service providers given limited funding and growing public needs. Performance evaluation can help transit agencies identify underperforming serv ... Read More

Evaluation Research on Respectful Workplaces in Highway Construction

Principal Investigator: Maura Kelly

Co-Investigator: Lindsey Wilkerson

Oregon Tradeswomen Inc, in partnership with Green Dot Etcetera, Oregon construction contractors, BOLI/ODOT, and PSU researchers, is piloting an adaptation of the Green Dot bystander intervention program for the highway construction trades. This progr ... Read More

Portland State University

39 Results