The National Institute for Transportation & Communities (NITC) research consortium, led by Portland State University, has awarded $485,456 in total funding for seven new research projects spanning five universities. One project, "Exploring the Use of Crowdsourced Data Sources for Pedestrian Count Estimations," is led by Sirisha Kothuri and Nathan McNeil of Portland State University, together with Kate Hyun and Stephen Mattingly of the University of Texas at Arlington.
With the extension of the FAST Act, NITC received one additional year of funding, and given this limited time frame, the consortium 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:
Rural Gentrification and the Spillover Effect: Integrated Transportation, Housing, and Land Use Challenges and Strategies in Gateway Communities
Led by Danya Rumore of the University of Utah and Philip Stoker of the University of Arizona
- 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.
Housing Choice, Transportation Equity, and Access to Opportunities in Refugee and Immigrant Communities
Led by Diane Mitschke, Anne Nordberg and Stephen Mattingly of the University of Texas at Arlington
Assessing Cool Corridor Heat Resilience Strategies for Human-Scale Transportation
Led by Ladd Keith, Kristina Currans and Nicole Iroz-Elardo of the University of Arizona
- Ash Avila, a 2022 TRB Minority Student Fellow featured in a recent NITC student spotlight, worked on this project during the summer of 2021.
Exploring the Use of Crowdsourced Data Sources for Pedestrian Count Estimations
Led by Sirisha Kothuri and Nathan McNeil of Portland State University, and Kate Hyun and Stephen Mattingly of the University of Texas at Arlington
Transportation for Seniors (T4S): Developing a New Accessibility Measure to Support Older Adults in a Post-Pandemic World
Led by Andy Hong and Xiaoyue Cathy Liu of the University of Utah
Sustaining Multimodal Choices: Examining Travel Behavior for Non-work Trips Beyond COVID-19
Led by Yizhao Yang and Rebecca Lewis of the University of Oregon
Developing Data and Solution Focused Approaches to Support Homeless Populations on Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART)
Led by Anne Nordberg, Jaya Davis and Stephen Mattingly of the University of Texas at Arlington
Photo courtesy of Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC)
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.