In response to the global pandemic, in person activities are restricted on the PSU campus. Until further notice, all live events hosted by TREC will be online only.

Friday Transportation Seminars at Portland State University have been a tradition since 2000. You can join us online at 11:30 AM. 

PRESENTATION ARCHIVE

• Watch the video
• View the presentation slides
• TREC Twitter thread

THE TOPIC

Neighborhoods of color tend to be the most dangerous places for cyclists and other road users, a result in part of historic disinvestment and failure to provide basic infrastructure. Safety efforts to reduce crashes, like Vision Zero, have called for both increased investment, a qualified benefit for disenfranchised communities, and increased traffic enforcement, a response that is likely to place people of color in even greater harm based on extensively documented police injustice.

• For more about the problems of policy and planning around 'bicycling while black,' check out a Sept 9, 2020 blog post by Jesus Barajas.

To what extent, then, do poor cycling conditions and inadequate infrastructure contribute to disparities in policing in Black and Brown neighborhoods? Using data obtained from the Chicago Police Department, I will present findings that show how street characteristics, cycling infrastructure, and neighborhood characteristics are associated with the number of citations issued for riding a bicycle on the sidewalk over the previous five years. I find evidence that fewer tickets are issued on lower-volume streets and on streets where bike facilities are provided. While the provision of bike lanes and paths do not eliminate racial disparities in policing, they do contribute to more comfortable cycling conditions and lower odds of getting a citation. I will end with a discussion how the findings inform planning and policy.

KEY LEARNING OUTCOMES

• Participants will learn about the role of policing in bicycle safety planning in the U.S. and the issues associated with it.
• Participants will learn how bicycle citations are distributed by neighborhood in Chicago.
• Participants will understand how inadequate transportation infrastructure contributes to inequitable policing for cyclists.

SPEAKER

Jesus Barajas, Assistant Professor of Environmental Science and Policy, UC Davis 

Jesus M. Barajas is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Science and Policy and affiliated faculty with the Institute of Transportation Studies at UC Davis. His research focuses on mobility justice and transportation equity. His work examines the role that planning and policy contribute to access to opportunity among historically marginalized populations, with a goal of informing policy agendas that remedy injustices. He holds a PhD in City and Regional Planning from UC Berkeley.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

This 60-minute seminar is eligible for 1 hour of professional development credit for AICP (see our provider summary). We provide an electronic attendance certificate for other types of certification maintenance.

LEARN MORE

Sign up for our newsletter to receive monthly updates.

The Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University is home to the National Institute for Transportation and Communities (NITC), the Initiative for Bicycle and Pedestrian Innovation (IBPI), and other transportation programs. TREC produces research and tools for transportation decision makers, develops K-12 curriculum to expand the diversity and capacity of the workforce, and engages students and professionals through education.

In response to the global pandemic, in person activities are restricted on the PSU campus. Until further notice, all live events hosted by TREC will be online only.

Friday Transportation Seminars at Portland State University have been a tradition since 2000. You can join us online at 11:30 AM.

PRESENTATION ARCHIVE

• Watch the video
• View the presentation slides
• TREC Twitter thread

THE TOPIC

Eastern Washington University's Small Urban, Rural & Tribal Center on Mobility (SURTCOM) focuses on the mobility needs and challenges faced by tribal communities. In this presentation, SURTCOM Associate Director Margo Hill will examine the accessibility of tribal communities to basic necessities. These necessities include:

• Interstate Onramps
• Micropolitan Population Centers
• Metropolitan Population Centers
• Indian Health Service (IHS) Facilities
• Grocery Stores
• Department Stores
• Fast Food Restaurants

Destinations were chosen based on observed health disparities within the American Indian population (Jones, 2006), and the importance of accessibility to healthy foods found throughout the food desert literature.

Professor Hill will also discuss Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. There are thousands of deaths and disappearances of Native women and girls in the U.S and Canada. These native women and girls vanish from tribal lands, rural communities and cities with no official accounting. Transportation and transit intersect with human trafficking and jurisdictional problems tribal people encounter. Native Americans have unique mobility patterns as they travel from rural tribal territories to urban centers. This session will discuss issues of risk factors, human trafficking and how the complicated jurisdictional scheme of Indian Country makes it difficult to protect native women. Lastly, we will discuss Federal Indian Law and the United States Supreme Court decisions on tribal issues and mobility.

KEY LEARNING OUTCOMES

Participants will learn about:

• The unique mobility patterns of tribal communities
• The accessibility of tribal communities to basic necessities such as health care, grocery stores and department stores
• Tribal sovereignty and how the United States Supreme Court has ruled on tribal mobility

SPEAKER

Margo Hill, Eastern Washington University

Margo Hill, JD, MURP, is a Spokane Tribal member and grew up on the Spokane Indian reservation. She serves as the Associate Director of Small, Urban, Rural and Tribal Center on Mobility (SURTCOM). Dr. Hill served as the Spokane Tribal Attorney for 10+ years and as a Coeur d’Alene Tribal Court Judge. In this capacity, she received letters of declination from the U.S. Attorney’s Office and worked to bring perpetrators to justice in the complex criminal law scheme of Indian Country. Margo Hill is faculty at Eastern Washington University where she teaches Planning Law and Legislation, Administrative Law, Community Development, Tribal Planning classes and American Indian Law.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

This 60-minute seminar is eligible for 1 hour of professional development credit for AICP (see our provider summary). We provide an electronic attendance certificate for other types of certification maintenance.

LEARN MORE

Photo by SEASTOCK/iStock

Sign up for our newsletter to receive monthly updates.

The Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University is home to the National Institute for Transportation and Communities (NITC), the Initiative for Bicycle and Pedestrian Innovation (IBPI), and other transportation programs. TREC produces research and tools for transportation decision makers, develops K-12 curriculum to expand the diversity and capacity of the workforce, and engages students and professionals through education.

In response to the global pandemic, in person activities are restricted on the PSU campus. Until further notice, all live events hosted by TREC will be online only.

Friday Transportation Seminars at Portland State University have been a tradition since 2000. You can join us online at 11:30 AM.

PRESENTATION ARCHIVE

• Watch the video
• View the presentation slides
• TREC Twitter thread

THE TOPIC

In 2019, the LADOT Vision Zero Division launched the Vision Zero Dignity Infused Community Engagement (VZ DICE) strategy with the intent to transform the way the City engages with local communities. This planning process intentionally and holistically incorporates the viewpoints, lived experiences, and perspectives of those most impacted by a planning project and seeks to restore and atone for historic, systemic, and institutional injustices. A team of community partners, advocates, social scientists, artists, everyday residents, and technical experts came together to reach community residents in ways that reflect the local social, cultural, and racial/ethnic identity of a neighborhood. The strategy was purposely multifaceted involving a local street team, small business partnerships, an anti-displacement resource kit, and a ground truthing process to assess how local projects can center community needs and reflect local values. Over 18,000 residents and counting have been engaged through the project so far and LADOT continues to apply this framework to other planning projects.

KEY LEARNING OUTCOMES

• Community engagement should be culturally relevant and reflect the community being served.
• Transportation projects can negatively impact communities if residents aren’t involved in the engagement process.
• Partner, build, and pay community partners as they are local experts.
• Community engagement requires building trust, starting with a willingness to innovate, intervene, and invest.

SPEAKERS

Caro Vera, Senior Transportation Planner, Fehr & Peers

Caro is a Transportation Planner at Fehr & Peers, a transportation planning and engineering firm devoted to creating solutions that improve communities. She specializes in bicycle and pedestrian planning, equity, and community engagement. Caro is born and raised in South Central Los Angeles and takes much of her inspiration for creating safer streets from her community’s experiences biking, walking, rolling, driving, and riding public transit. She has ten years of experience in community organizing and engagement with communities of color. Caro holds a B.A. in Ethnic Studies and Chicano studies from UC Berkeley as well as a M.A. in Urban Planning from the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs.

Kevin Ocubillo, Los Angeles Department of Transportation

Kevin Ocubillo is a planning assistant at the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT).

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

This 60-minute seminar is eligible for 1 hour of professional development credit for AICP (see our provider summary). We provide an electronic attendance certificate for other types of certification maintenance.

LEARN MORE

Photo by MSPhotographic/iStock

Sign up for our newsletter to receive monthly updates.

The Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University is home to the National Institute for Transportation and Communities (NITC), the Initiative for Bicycle and Pedestrian Innovation (IBPI), and other transportation programs. TREC produces research and tools for transportation decision makers, develops K-12 curriculum to expand the diversity and capacity of the workforce, and engages students and professionals through education.

We are committed to making decisions that promote the success and well-being of our campus community. Like an increasing number of universities nationwide, Portland State is taking steps to respond to the global pandemic. Until further notice, all live events hosted by TREC will be online only.

Friday Transportation Seminars at Portland State University have been a tradition since 2000. You can join us online at 11:30 AM.

PRESENTATION ARCHIVE

• Watch the video
• View the presentation slides
• TREC Twitter thread

THE TOPIC

Transportation policies at the local, regional, state and national levels have a direct impact on urban land use and development patterns. Transportation intersects with multiple areas including public health, education, climate change, physical activity, health outcomes, build environment, violence, safety, social cohesion and the wellness of communities. For the health outcomes influenced by transportation, disparities exist by race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status in Multnomah County. Disproportionate exposure to injury, air pollution, and noise contributes to inequitable burdens of injuries and chronic disease among race and ethnic groups. This is exacerbated by lack of access to safe places for active transportation and lack of safe access to destinations that support health such as jobs, schools, and healthcare. According to an analysis conducted by the Health Department, the REACH focus population faces safety issues from both traffic crashes and concerns for personal security. These exposures result in a disproportionate burden of injury and chronic disease. Black/African Americans residents in Multnomah county die from traffic crash injuries at higher rates than white residents, about 1.8 times higher from 2013-2017. Compared to their White counterparts, more deaths are observed from chronic diseases among African Americans than expected: 24% more from heart disease, 68% more from stroke, and 32% more from cancer.

The cost of health inequalities in Multnomah County is an estimated $442 million annually, including $332 million from premature death, $92 million in direct health care costs, and $18 million in indirect costs of illness. The Oregon Health Authority estimated that implementing Metro’s Climate Smart Strategy would avoid $100 million in treatment costs annually.

KEY LEARNING OUTCOMES

• Help transportation professionals measure progress toward equity in transportation safety
• Provide tools for public health and transportation agencies to collaborate
• Enhance knowledge of transportation professions and decision makers to connect health equity during transportation process, planning and designs
• Build awareness of personal and institutional action steps professionals can do to bridge racial equity, health equity and transportation equity

SPEAKER

Charlene McGee, Multnomah County REACH Program Manager

Charlene brings over 15 years of leadership working at the intersection of public health and healthcare systems to confront and change social determinants of health. She holds a Bachelors of Science in public health, health promotion and education, with a minor in community health from Oregon State University. She is currently pursuing an executive master’s in public administration at Portland State University. As a Liberian-Oregonian, her experience as a survivor of the Liberian civil war and Black immigrant heavily influenced her career in health equity, health policy and program development. She works closely with community partners to elevate lived experience and community wisdom in order to advocate for systems and policy improvements, and culturally appropriate interventions to promote health.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

This 60-minute seminar is eligible for 1 hour of professional development credit for AICP (see our provider summary). We provide an electronic attendance certificate for other types of certification maintenance.

LEARN MORE

Photo by krblokhin/istock

Sign up for our newsletter to receive monthly updates.

The Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University is home to the National Institute for Transportation and Communities (NITC), the Initiative for Bicycle and Pedestrian Innovation (IBPI), and other transportation programs. TREC produces research and tools for transportation decision makers, develops K-12 curriculum to expand the diversity and capacity of the workforce, and engages students and professionals through education.

We are committed to making decisions that promote the success and well-being of our campus community. Like an increasing number of universities nationwide, Portland State is taking steps to respond to the global pandemic. Until further notice, all live events hosted by TREC will be online only.

Friday Transportation Seminars at Portland State University have been a tradition since 2000. You can join us online at 11:30 AM.

PRESENTATION ARCHIVE

• Watch the video
• View the presentation slides

THE TOPIC

Travel Demand Models are the backbone of decision-making for public transportation infrastructure investment. Yet, critiques of these models with respect to their usefulness  and performance for transport disadvantage communities are rare in the academic literature. These disadvantage communities may include  (but are not limited to) low income travelers, transit dependents, un/underemployed, and the elderly. With the objective of promoting travel demand models that are better equipped for assessing transportation impacts for disadvantaged communities, this presentation highlights lessons learned from two case studies of applying travel demand analysis to understand the transportation accessibility of low income, elderly, and transit dependent communities. The case studies take place in two Michigan cities,  Benton Harbor and Detroit.

KEY LEARNING OUTCOMES

• Case study findings
• The importance of advancing data collection and curation approaches
• The importance of more carefully considering the ramifications of mis-specifying travel model structures, particularly for minority travel populations

SPEAKER

Tierra Bills, Assistant Professor, Wayne State University

Dr. Tierra Bills is an Assistant Professor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at Wayne State university. She has recently joined Wayne State (in Summer 2019) after spending 3 years as a Michigan Society Fellow and Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan. Prior to her fellowship at UMich, Dr. Bills worked as a Research Scientist at IBM Research Africa for 3 years, in Nairobi Kenya. Much of Dr. Bills’ current research focuses on investigating the social impacts of transportation projects. She develops activity-based travel-demand models to investigate individual and household-level transportation-equity effects, for the purpose of designing transportation systems that will provide more equitable returns to society. Her latest project aims to understand the potential for next generation transit systems to affect transportation equity outcomes. 

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

This 60-minute seminar is eligible for 1 hour of professional development credit for AICP (see our provider summary). We provide an electronic attendance certificate for other types of certification maintenance.

LEARN MORE

Photo by J2R/iStock

Sign up for our newsletter to receive monthly updates.

The Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University is home to the National Institute for Transportation and Communities (NITC), the Initiative for Bicycle and Pedestrian Innovation (IBPI), and other transportation programs. TREC produces research and tools for transportation decision makers, develops K-12 curriculum to expand the diversity and capacity of the workforce, and engages students and professionals through education.

PRESENTATION ARCHIVE

• Watch the video
• View the presentation slides

OVERVIEW

Improving bus stops by providing shelters, seating, signage, and sidewalks is relatively inexpensive and popular among riders and local officials. Making such improvements, however, is not often a priority for U.S. transit providers because of competing demands for capital funds and a perception that amenities are not tied to measurable increases in system effectiveness or efficiency. This webinar focuses on the role that bus stops play as the point of first contact between transit agencies and their potential riders, and how the quality of that contact can influence both ridership and accessibility for riders with mobility-related disabilities. The webinar will use results from recent research sponsored by NITC and the Utah Department of Transportation looking at possible impacts that bus stop improvements made by the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) have had on stop-level ridership and demand for Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) paratransit services. The results demonstrate how investments in bus stop facilities are not amenities, as they are frequently referred to, but essential elements of infrastructure necessary to provide access to transit and, by extension, to opportunities and essential services. Stops are, through this frame, conceptualized as an element of transportation justice.

KEY LEARNING TAKEAWAYS

Bus stop improvements are associated with stop-level increases in ridership and a reduction in demand for ADA paratransit services.

THE RESEARCH

This webinar is based on a study funded by the National Institute for Transportation and Communities (NITC) and conducted at the University of Utah and the University of Arizona. Read more about the research: The Connection between Investments in Bus Stops, Ridership, and ADA Accessibility.

SPEAKERS

Keith Bartholomew, University of Utah

Keith Bartholomew is the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at the University of Utah College of Architecture + Planning and a Professor of City & Metropolitan Planning.  Before coming to Utah, Professor Bartholomew served as a staff attorney for 1000 Friends of Oregon and was the director of “Making the Land Use, Transportation, Air Quality Connection” (LUTRAQ).  Professor Bartholomew teaches and conducts research on integrated land use-transportation scenario analysis, pedestrian-oriented design, and land use law.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

This 60-minute webinar is eligible for 1 hour of professional development credit for AICP (see our provider summary). We provide an electronic attendance certificate for other types of certification maintenance.

LEARN MORE

Sign up for our newsletter to get updates on our events.

This webinar is hosted by the Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University. The research was funded by the National Institute for Transportation and Communities (NITC), a program of TREC and one of five U.S. Department of Transportation national university transportation centers. The NITC program is a Portland State-led partnership with the University of Oregon, Oregon Institute of Technology, University of Utah and new partners University of Arizona and University of Texas at Arlington. We pursue our theme — improving mobility of people and goods to build strong communities — through research, education and technology transfer.

We are committed to making decisions that promote the success and well-being of our campus community. Like an increasing number of universities nationwide, Portland State is taking steps to respond to the global pandemic. Until further notice, all live events hosted by TREC will be online only.

Friday Transportation Seminars at Portland State University have been a tradition since 2000. You can join us online at 11:30 AM.

PRESENTATION ARCHIVE

• Watch the video
• View the presentation slides
• TREC Twitter thread

THE TOPIC

Law enforcement traffic stops are one of the most common entryways to the US justice system, with significant downstream impacts for both individuals and communities. Group-specific rates are typically based on jurisdiction resident populations; these rates, like many justice-system indicators, demonstrate race-ethnicity disparities. Residential-based rates implicitly assume race-ethnicity groups have equal vehicle access, equal driving volume, and that all driving occurs in resident’s jurisdictions. In contrast, surveys suggest Black non-Hispanic and Hispanic households have less access and drive less than white non-Hispanic households. Models incorporating US Census data and race-ethnicity driving factors from the 2017 National Household Travel Survey showed increased disparities for Black non-Hispanic drivers; all models suggested both groups experience disparate traffic stop rates compared to white non-Hispanic drivers.

A police department in Fayetteville, NC attempted to reduce these disparities by focusing on safety-related traffic stops; intervention results will be shared. The Public Health Critical Race Praxis (PHRCP) guided framing, results interpretation, and self-evaluation of study aims. Traffic stops have associated public health outcomes and create disparities of relevance for public health researchers. Interventions guided by critical public health frameworks can save lives and reduce disparities.

KEY LEARNING OUTCOMES

• Understand fundamentals of traffic stop related disparities
• Learn about the Public Health Critical Race Praxis framework and applications
• Think critically about public health interventions intersecting criminal justice systems

SPEAKER

Mike Dolan Fliss, Research Scientist, University of North Carolina Injury Prevention Research Center

Mike is a public health data scientist using R to bring public health and social justice together. Trained as an epidemiologist (PhD), computer scientist (MPS), and social worker (MSW), Mike is dually affiliated with the NC Division of Public Health and the University of North Carolina, where he teaches a course on R for Public Health Epidemiology (with content publicly available online) and stand-alone R workshops. Mike’s current projects include identifying racial injustices in policing and in the built and natural environment; tracking injury outcomes like opioid overdoses, child maltreatment, and car crashes; and building public health dashboards for situational awareness, policy change, and population health improvement.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

This 60-minute seminar is eligible for 1 hour of professional development credit for AICP (see our provider summary). We provide an electronic attendance certificate for other types of certification maintenance.

LEARN MORE

Photo bylisafx /iStock

Sign up for our newsletter to receive monthly updates.

The Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University is home to the National Institute for Transportation and Communities (NITC), the Initiative for Bicycle and Pedestrian Innovation (IBPI), and other transportation programs. TREC produces research and tools for transportation decision makers, develops K-12 curriculum to expand the diversity and capacity of the workforce, and engages students and professionals through education.

We are committed to making decisions that promote the success and well-being of our campus community. Like an increasing number of universities nationwide, Portland State is taking steps to respond to the global pandemic. Until further notice, all live events hosted by TREC will be online only.

Friday Transportation Seminars at Portland State University have been a tradition since 2000. You can join us online at 11:30 AM.

PRESENTATION ARCHIVE

• View the presentation slides
• Watch the video

THE TOPIC

Getting people and goods from here to there is central to the ways we live, work, and play in the United States. The transportation networks we create as planners, engineers, geologists, contractors, consultants, advocates, and citizens involve a multitude of decisions. These decisions have great impact on who can get where, when and how; often connected to our structures of social power. This seminar connects those dots, questions our ability to make change, and calls participants to be actively involved in a transportation system that is curated for those it targets: everyone.

KEY LEARNING OUTCOMES

• Connect transportation experience to identity and social constructs
• Understand how more equitable decisions can be made
• Describe the ways transportation network professionals are curators of equity

SPEAKER

Nikotris Perkins, Assistant Director of Social Equity, Oregon Department of Transportation

Nikotris Perkins (pronounced ni-KÄH-tris) is a Wisconsin native and the new Assistant Director of Social Equity at the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT). Nikotris has 20 years of experience working in nonprofit, social enterprise, and corporate environments with an emphasis on leading teams toward equitable outcomes. A talented facilitator who is a catalyst in creating brave spaces, she promotes confidence in identity and offers tools to navigate the trauma of racial, economic, accessibility, and health inequities that show up in the places we live, work, and play. As Assistant Director, Nikotris is focused on assisting ODOT stakeholders throughout the state to think about how we prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion by identifying and addressing systemic barriers to ensure all Oregonians benefit from transportation services and investments.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

This 60-minute seminar is eligible for 1 hour of professional development credit for AICP (see our provider summary). We provide an electronic attendance certificate for other types of certification maintenance.

LEARN MORE

Photo by deberarr/iStock

Sign up for our newsletter to receive monthly updates.

The Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University is home to the National Institute for Transportation and Communities (NITC), the Initiative for Bicycle and Pedestrian Innovation (IBPI), and other transportation programs. TREC produces research and tools for transportation decision makers, develops K-12 curriculum to expand the diversity and capacity of the workforce, and engages students and professionals through education.

We are committed to making decisions that promote the success and well-being of our campus community. Like an increasing number of universities nationwide, Portland State is taking steps to respond to the global pandemic. Until further notice, all live events hosted by TREC will be online only.

Friday Transportation Seminars at Portland State University have been a tradition since 2000. You can join us online at 11:30 AM.

PRESENTATION ARCHIVE

Watch the video

View the presentation slides

TREC Twitter thread

THE TOPIC

The "right to the city" depends on the right to access the city, and U.S. regions are marked by profoundly unequal access. One of the clearest manifestations of this is the state of U.S. bus transit. Bus service is simple to improve and has vast potential to better people's lives, but has been constrained by the racist planning and politics that shape every American city.

How can we fulfill the promise of better buses and create abundant transit networks that expand access to opportunity? In this seminar, Higashide unpacks the elements of effective bus service – and cites examples from across the United States to show how elected leaders, heroic bureaucrats, and civic advocates can overcome the political challenges to achieving them.

KEY LEARNING OUTCOMES

• The role improved bus service can play in furthering access to opportunity
• How changes in the structure of public agencies and public process can reduce the marginalization of disadvantaged groups
• The importance of community organizing and alliances between the public and civic sectors in winning more equitable transit

SPEAKER

Steven Higashide, Author, Better Buses, Better Cities

Steven Higashide is Director of Research for TransitCenter, a New-York-based foundation that works to make cities more sustainable and just through better public transit. He has conducted and managed research about who rides transit and why; how tax policy influences transportation; and transit’s role in a Green New Deal. Steven previously worked as a transportation advocate in the New York area, where he worked on winning campaigns to pass legislation protecting pedestrians and cyclists, and defeat Congressional attempts to defund public transportation. His first book (named one of Planetizen's 10 best urban planning books for 2019) is Better Buses, Better Cities: How to Plan, Run, and Win the Fight for Effective Transit; and his writing has appeared in The New Republic, The Atlantic, and the Los Angeles Times. Steven holds a Masters in Urban Planning from NYU’s Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

This 60-minute seminar is eligible for 1 hour of professional development credit for AICP (see our provider summary). We provide an electronic attendance certificate for other types of certification maintenance.

LEARN MORE

Photo by Laser1987/iStock

Sign up for our newsletter to receive monthly updates.

The Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University is home to the National Institute for Transportation and Communities (NITC), the Initiative for Bicycle and Pedestrian Innovation (IBPI), and other transportation programs. TREC produces research and tools for transportation decision makers, develops K-12 curriculum to expand the diversity and capacity of the workforce, and engages students and professionals through education.

PRESENTATION ARCHIVE

• Watch the video
• View the presentation slides

OVERVIEW

Even though there are tremendous uncertainties in the timing and evolution path of the Autonomous Vehicles (AV) technology, it may become a likely reality within most MPOs' long-range regional transportation plan horizon of twenty years. Yet a recent survey of the largest MPOs in the US indicates only one of them "even mentions driverless, automated, or autonomous vehicles in its most recent RTP". One of the uncertainties in assessing the impacts of AV is their direction: on one hand, self-driving cars could increase VMT by increasing roadway capacity, lowering costs of travel; on the other, they may reduce VMT by enabling more car-sharing, improving access to transit, eliminating the fixed costs of car ownership, and reclaiming parking space. To date, there is no suitable conceptual framework or modeling tools available to MPOs for quantitatively assessing the likely long-term effects of AV or potential policy scenarios.

This project studies the possible impacts on travel and land use of the emerging AV technology and focuses on advancing this innovative mobility option by making sure it serves the greater good of building sustainable and equitable communities in its adoption. It also contributes to smart cities research by examining the likely social, economic, and environmental outcomes of integrating AV in our cities and by starting to consider policies and plans to preempt their potential adverse impacts and to ensure that the AV technology improves access for all people.

THE RESEARCH

This webinar is based on a study funded by the National Institute for Transportation and Communities (NITC) and conducted at Portland State University and the University of Arizona. Read more about the research: Land Use and Transportation Policies for a Sustainable Future with Autonomous Vehicles: Scenario Analysis with Simulations.

SPEAKER

Liming Wang, Portland State University

Liming Wang is an assistant professor in PSU's Toulan School of Urban Studies & Planning. He teaches courses in Travel Demand Modeling, Transportation and Land Use, and Data Analysis Methods. His research takes a data-driven approach to address challenging issues in planning, in particular those intersecting land use and transportation. His recent research projects include data integration techniques for transportation and land use modeling, development and evaluation of comprehensive performance measures for transportation and land use systems, and regional strategic planning tools.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

This 60-minute webinar is eligible for 1 hour of professional development credit for AICP (see our provider summary). We provide an electronic attendance certificate for other types of certification maintenance.

LEARN MORE

Photo by Михаил Руденко

Sign up for our newsletter to get updates on our events.

This webinar is hosted by the Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University. The research was funded by the National Institute for Transportation and Communities (NITC), a program of TREC and one of five U.S. Department of Transportation national university transportation centers. The NITC program is a Portland State-led partnership with the University of Oregon, Oregon Institute of Technology, University of Utah and new partners University of Arizona and University of Texas at Arlington. We pursue our theme — improving mobility of people and goods to build strong communities — through research, education and technology transfer.