The Urban Transportation Center's research focuses on the following clusters: disadvantaged populations and human sustainability, Intelligent Transportation Systems, and the planning, operations, and management of public transportation, highway and freight systems.
Disadvantaged Populations and Human Sustainability
The planning, policy, operations and management of transportation for Disadvantaged Populations and Human Sustainability is a unique niche for the Center and one in which the Center has established itself as having a significant national reputation. Disadvantaged populations include those who tend to fall through the "cracks" in the urban transportation planning processes and include low-income, minority, disabled, young children, individuals with health problems that relate to the built environment and senior citizens. The goal of this research cluster is to create awareness of the transportation problems of the disadvantaged and to create information that enables these concerns to be adequately addressed. The highly interdisciplinary nature of this cluster calls for collaboration among planners, engineers, economists, health professionals, geographers and regional scientists.
Intelligent Transportation Systems
The purpose of UTC's ITS research cluster is to examine the use of advanced technologies in surface (highway, transit and freight) transportation. The Center has achieved significant international reputation in ITS research and education. Faculty have published extensively in this area and are currently members of international programs that guide science and technology research in this area. The goal of this research cluster is to create knowledge to address complex traffic problems not with the addition of new transportation infrastructure but by innovative use of information technology, sensors and other aspects of technology. The highly interdisciplinary nature of this cluster calls for collaboration among planners, engineers, economists, computer scientists, statisticians and geographers.
Transportation Planning, Operations and Management
Purpose: The purpose of this broad research cluster is to conduct basic and applied research in the areas of highway, public transportation and freight planning, operations and management. Technical models of transportation planning, models simulating the economic impacts of transportation, empirical studies of traveler behavior and needs assessment that inform federal, local and state governments as well as private businesses and advocacy groups form the core of this research cluster. Strategies to improve traffic congestion, air quality, economic productivity, land-use and urban decentralization are only some aspects of transportation research that have been examined by this cluster.