Research | National Institute for Transportation and Communities

Research Highlights

Planning in Gateway and Amenity Communities: Understanding Unique Challenges Associated with Transportation, Mobility, and Access to Opportunity

Principal Investigator: Danya Rumore

Co-Investigator: Philip Stoker

Western North America boasts an abundance of scenic mountains, ski areas, stunning desert landscapes and national parks. Living near these natural amenities are small communities, many of which are becoming increasingly popular places to live and visit. The influx of visitors creates unique transportation and mobility challenges for these small towns and cities, such as seasonal spikes in severe roadway congestion and a desire for e-bike share programs in communities of less than 1,000 people... Read More

Effectiveness of Transportation Funding Mechanisms for Achieving National, State and Metropolitan Economic, Health and Other Livability Goals

Principal Investigator: Rob Zako

Co-Investigator: Rebecca Lewis

The Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21), adopted in 2012, established national performance goals for Federal-aid highways in seven areas. (Federal Highway Administration, n.d.) MAP-21 requires states and metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) to establish performance-based planning processes, set targets (performance measures), and link planning and funding to these targets. States and MPOs have different mechanisms for allocating funding from various sources to ... Read More