The Past, Present, and Future of Transportation Equity, Decisions, and Economic Impacts
CTEDD successfully hosted its Summer Summit at the University of Texas, Arlington on June 6, 2024. The event brought together more than 40 members and guests, including researchers, executive committee members, advisory board members, and students from the University of Texas, Arlington (UTA) and the University of South Florida (USF). Honorable speakers and guests from other University Transportation Centers (UTCs) also participated, including the Center for Durable and Resilient Transportation Infrastructure (DuRe-Transp), the Transportation Cybersecurity Center for Advanced Research and Education (CYBER-CARE), and the Cooperative Mobility for Competitive Megaregions (CM2) center. The summit featured multiple sessions, including eight research presentations, multiple posters, and a lively discussion forum. Presentations and discussions covered a range of topics aimed at improving equity, safety, and economic outcomes for various communities through policy, app development, planning, and research.
The summit began with a welcome session, featuring a warm greeting from Dr. James Grover, the Dean of the Graduate School. Dr. Grover highlighted CTEDD’s significant impact on students, through scholarships, awards, and transportation certificates. Dr. Ming-Han Li, Dean of CAPPA, also welcomed attendees, expressing enthusiasm for exploring future collaboration opportunities. Dr. Qisheng Pan, Director of the CTEDD Center, provided an update on the latest accomplishments and developments at the center.
Mr. Dan Diper, representing the CTEDD advisory board, emphasized the advisory board’s strong support for CTEDD’s research, education, and workforce development initiatives. He remarked, “Most entrepreneurs work in the business, not on the business,” noting that academia has the potential to bridge this gap and bring about sustainable economic impact. He also highlighted research collaboration opportunities in areas such as sustainable parking, electric bus implementation, dedicated lanes for commercial vehicles, and product development, outreach, and training.
Dr. Foss, Planning and Programming Manager for the City of Arlington and CTEDD advisory board member, introduced the city’s plans for embracing transportation innovation in the near future. She highlighted the importance of research in shaping policies for future urban transportation, sharing ongoing projects such as drone delivery for groceries.
Overman, a research scientist at TTI in Arlington and UTA planning program advisor, led a discussion on the future direction of the CTEDD center. He identified the challenges and gaps in transportation policy research and underscored the need for further exploration in these areas. Dr. Tongbin Chu, CTEDD Program Manager, facilitated a group discussion where participants identified the center’s key goals moving forward.
In his closing remarks, Dr. Pan thanked all the presenters for their insightful research and expressed his gratitude to the guests for their participation and support. He also acknowledged the hard work of the CTEDD staff team in organizing the successful event.