The National Institute for Transportation & Communities (NITC) research consortium, led by Portland State University, has awarded $530,419 in total funding for seven new research projects spanning five universities. With the extension of the FAST Act, NITC received one additional year of funding, and given this limited time frame, we emphasized projects that were relatively short in length, relied on existing expertise, and would yield specific outputs and outcomes. Several of the projects have an equity focus, and much of the research aims to make it easier to get around multimodally and/or by walking. The seven new projects are:

• Rumore and Stoker focus on the unique transportation challenges of 'gateway' communities, or small towns adjacent to natural areas that attract large populations. Their previous NITC project, "Planning in Gateway and Amenity Communities," has been covered by media outlets including Forbes and the BBC.

• This project builds upon a continuing body of work at the University of Arlington centered around interdisciplinary collaborations between transportation and social work. Other in-progress efforts led by this team include Using Social Network Analysis To Optimize Access To Culturally Responsive And Affordable Transportation For Older (Im)Migrants and Optimizing Housing and Service Locations to Provide Mobility to Meet the Mandated Obligations for Former Offenders to Improve Community Health and Safety.

• Ash Avila, a 2022 TRB Minority Student Fellow featured in a recent NITC student spotlight, worked on this project during the summer of 2021.

Photo courtesy of Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC)/Laura Sandt

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