Research Issues for Transportation & Livability Policy
Below is one of several free workshops offered by the PSO as a part of the APSA 2014 Annual Meeting. Co-sponsored by the World Medical & Health Policy (WMHP) and Povery & Public Policy (PPP) journals, and the Center for the Study of International Medical Policies & Practices (CSIMPP) at George Mason University
Research Issues for Transportation & Livability Policy
Wednesday, August 27, 2014- 9:00AM-1:00PM
Marriot Wardman Park Hotel - Hoover Room
Transportation and Livability is a policy issue of increasing importance, given forward momentum by a partnership of the U.S. Department of Transportation, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to promote this matter. Thus far Transportation and Livability initiatives have tended to be located in fairly limited areas, typically those with a strong tradition of commitment to environmental values, and typically involving mechanisms to expand transit or increase transportation options for pedestrians and bicyclists.
Valuable as these initiatives are, they have thus far been quite limited in their reach and impact. An alternative approach to Transportation and Livability is to develop policy options for settings more typical of the American population. Indeed, a particularly useful approach is to develop policy options for densely populated regions, such as the Washington, D.C.-Boston corridor. Such options will likely have a different character from the highly localized, transit and pedestrian- and bicycle-oriented initiatives which thus far have characterized livability efforts.
In this short course we will offer an approach to thinking about livability in densely populated areas, and we will present a range of policy research topics that would support such an approach. In particular, we will look at how best to handle expansion of transportation capacity where required by the imperatives of economic development, we will consider how to identify transportation nodes most susceptible to environmentally destructive transportation congestion and to ameliorate such congestion, and we will explore how best to identify and address health hazards due to air and noise pollution posed by excessive concentration of traffic, both passenger and freight. Ample time for discussion with attendees will be provided.
Led by expert panel from School of Policy, Government and International Affairs- George Mason University
Brien Benson, Research Associate Professor, "Overview of Transportation and Livability"
Kingsley Haynes, Faculty Chair in Public Policy, Eminent Scholar, University Professor, "New Methods for Evaluating the Impact of Transportation Investments"
Arnauld Nicogossian, Distinguished Research Professor and Director of the Center for the Study of International Medical Policies and Practices, "Transportation Impacts on Communities' Health"
Ken Button, University Professor and Director, Center for Transportation, Policy, Operations and Logistics, "Livable Transportation Means all Things to all People"
Laurie Schintler, Associate Professor of Public Policy, Director, Transportation Policy, Operations and Logistics, Masters Program, "Transportation and Healthy Food Systems"
Terry Clower, Professor and Deputy Director, Center for Regional Analysis, "Transit System Impacts on Workplace Development"