Transportation for Sustainability: An International Conference. May 6-8, 2015, Washington, D.C.

This E-Circular summarizes proceedings and presentations from Transportation for Sustainability: An International Conference. The conference explored ways in which transportation systems can promote sustainability. The conference was held May 6–8, 2015, in Washington, D.C., and brought together participants from several different countries, participating both in person and online. Several students attended the conference and many displayed posters at the student poster session. One of the goals of the conference was to develop potential new research ideas, which could form the basis for future research and Transportation Research Board (TRB) papers. The conference included a keynote address highlighting the failures of the past and present transportation system, as well as a call to address climate change in the future and a plenary session that emphasized that global initiatives take effect when they are implemented in national frameworks and adapted locally. Speakers shared perspectives from the World Resources Institute, the World Bank, and the U.S. Department of Transportation. Breakout sessions also addressed solutions for sustainability problems, the programs of national transportation agencies, travel and trade, and transportation and climate change. The breakout sessions continued into the second day and covered topics such as sustainability tools, evaluation methodologies, and emerging technologies. Attendees were divided into working groups to discuss key findings and potential research needs that emerged during the conference. The focus areas of the working groups were developing countries, transportation practitioners, factors affecting the demand for transportation and the impact on sustainability, and government policies versus private initiatives. The closing plenary session summarized and highlighted the salient points that were discussed in the working groups.