Conferences

2025 TRB Annual Meeting Committee Events

Presentations: Understanding Travel Behavior: Insights, Theories, and Methods

This session will present recent research findings on travel behavior that should inform policy and planning decisions and evaluate the effectiveness and differences of various travel analysis methods.  Topics include if/how off-peak travel can and should be included in our planning processes; methods to evaluate how “good” a particular scenario is for the population outside of typical “time and cost” attributes; how to get feedback on and analyze potential outcomes for scenarios that users have never encountered before; and if/how machine learning analysis approaches differ in outcomes than econometric ones.

Presentations: Progress in Accounting for Induced Vehicle Travel 

This session will present recent research findings on travel behavior that should inform policy and planning decisions and evaluate the effectiveness and differences of various travel analysis methods.  Topics include if/how off-peak travel can and should be included in our planning processes; methods to evaluate how “good” a particular scenario is for the population outside of typical “time and cost” attributes; how to get feedback on and analyze potential outcomes for scenarios that users have never encountered before; and if/how machine learning analysis approaches differ in outcomes than econometric ones.

Workshop: Public- and Private-Sector Collaboration for Regional Data-Collection Programs

Agencies spend significant time and resources to budget for, plan for, and administer data-collection programs. This is becoming more onerous for three reasons: (1) agencies have shrinking budgets (2) the data requirements are ever-increasing, and (3) response rates are on the decline. This impacts both the way data are collected and also the number of private sector firms conducting data collection. The workshop will comprise of three panel discussions and a break-out with audience participation to improve the public-private partnership in collecting travel behavior information while encouraging new ideas and new approaches.  Panelists include State DOT, MPO, & private sector participants responsible for administering survey programs.

Workshop: Transportation Planning Is Incomplete Without Demand Management 

Transportation Demand Management (TDM) can play an essential role in increasing transportation system efficiency by encouraging travelers to use the most efficient option for each trip. Investments in non-auto modes and Smart Growth development policies can be more cost-effective, equitable, politically acceptable, and beneficial if implemented with TDM incentives to encourage their use. Currently, TDM components are often limited. This workshop will examine how TDM can help improve multimodal transportation plans and Smart Growth development policies, identify the full range of TDM strategies that should be considered, and describe methods and tools for optimizing TDM policies and programs.

Workshop: Transportation Big Data Sources and Equity  

As technology for passively collecting big data sources evolves, and vendors offer diverse data formats reflecting transportation system performance, two key equity-related questions arise: How representative is transportation big data across various population dimensions, given privacy concerns and technological challenges in assembling this data?  What are the most effective ways to use big data for analyzing equity in transportation? Case studies from various sectors will be presented. The workshop agenda consists of two panel sessions each focusing on one key question raised above. 

Workshop: Remote Work and Its Impact on Mobility and Land Use: Modeling the Good, the Bad and the Ugly 

Remote work is often seen as a solution to urban congestion, air pollution, and rural depopulation. Still, it can cause rebound effects like more non-work trips and added pressure on rural infrastructure. This workshop will explore remote work's positive and negative impacts on mobility, land use, labor, and housing markets and how insights are integrated into transportation forecasting models. This workshop starts with expert presentations from various regions. The second part is more interactive, using Concept Mapping, a participatory-based approach combining ideation, idea sorting, and idea rating. The workshop's outcome is a collectively built conceptual framework on how to model the mobility and land use impacts of remote work.

Workshop: Doctoral Research in Transportation Modeling and Travel Behavior Analysis 

This workshop aims to provide a platform for younger TRB attendees to present their newest research on transportation modeling and travel behavior analysis. Doctoral researchers or recent doctoral graduates present their research in 5-minute presentations. Presentations are grouped into four blocks, and a debater will ask the presenters questions after each block of four presentations. The audience will also have the opportunity to add questions. The discussion with and between doctoral researchers helps to shed light on current research issues. 

Workshop: Future Uncertain: Research and Tools for Transportation Planning Under Deep Uncertainty 

Future Uncertain introduces Decision Making Under Deep Uncertainty (DMDU) and contrasts it with traditional Predict-Then-Act approaches in transportation planning. Participants will experience considering and mitigating uncertainty through a collaborative planning game with evolving future conditions. An expert panel will then use game results to challenge current practices and discuss strategies to better incorporate deep uncertainty in planning tools and practices. The workshop will conclude with a group discussion to synthesize key takeaways and initiate further research and practice developments.

2024 TRB Annual Meeting Committee Events

Workshop: Planning Process Trials for Equity

Have an idea for how to make the planning process result in better equity outcomes? 

Attendees of this workshop will take on the role of decision-maker, transportation planner, travel analyst, or community member and work with a team to design and simulate a long-range transportation plan and TIP process which would result in more equitable outcomes.  The workshop will conclude with a roundtable of academics and policymakers providing their observations and relevant next steps.

Data, Planning, and Analysis Group Young Member Subcommittee Meeting

Panel: A Discussion on the Use of Gender in the Analytical Transportation Planning Process

Today, travel models nearly universally consider two sex categories, male and female, matching Census data, or none at all. As many agencies are embarking on new travel survey data and re-estimating models to reflect post-COVID conditions, it’s a good time to think about how best to specify these new models. Additionally, there is more interest in understanding impacts to different population groups and whether the model is sensitive to that population group may influence the appropriateness of the model to evaluate such metrics. 

Picking one example and exploring it in depth, a panel of experts will present and discuss the implications and considerations for including sex and/or gender as an explanatory variable.

Meeting: Emerging Methods Subcommittee

The subcommittee examines evolving topics that are on the frontier, over time this has included the mixed logit simulation based model, forecasting challenges, spatial models, big-data topics, integrated machine-learning, joint decision-making, social networks, reliability, and non-conventional data.

Presentations: Pathways to Decarbonizing Urban Transportation: Highlights from the Innovations in Travel Analysis and Planning Conference

Since the 1950s, long-range transportation planning has taken a “predict and provide” approach that forecasts future travel demand and evaluates proposed projects starting from that forecast. More recently, planners have argued for a “decide and provide” built around a vision for the transportation system we want. One manifestation of that approach is states adopting GHG reduction targets.  This practitioner-focused session will present the results of the analyses that transportation agencies have conducted to identify the most effective pathways of achieving GHG or VMT reduction targets. It features presentations from the 2023 TRB Innovations in Travel Analysis in and Planning Conference and selected speakers that build upon that theme.

Meeting: Integrated Modeling Subcommittee

Land-use and travel demand patterns have significant implications for energy consumption and public health. Therefore, the integrated transport modeling subcommittee is focusing on Identifying and addressing the research gaps and practice needs at the nexus of land-use/travel demand modeling and energy demand analysis. In addition, in view of the recent pandemic, the subcommittee is examining issues relevant to integrating land-use and travel demand analysis with epidemiological modeling.

Presentations: How could technology and post-pandemic work norms change travel behavior?

Most of our existing travel forecasting processes rely on travel behavior being primarily driven by mandatory work trips and supported by a traditional, relatively static, set of mode choices. As our lived experience in recent years has shown, this assumption has not necessarily held. This session explores how travel behavior has and potentially will change and if and how our forecasting processes should evolve.

Meeting: Statewide Travel Demand Forecasting Subcommittee

Most of our existing travel forecasting processes rely on travel behavior being primarily driven by mandatory work trips and supported by a traditional, relatively static, set of mode choices. As our lived experience in recent years has shown, this assumption has not necessarily held. This session explores how travel behavior has and potentially will change and if and how our forecasting processes should evolve.

2024 Related TRB Annual Meeting Events

Events which are related to the Travel Forecasting Community and are either officially co-sponsored or otherwise related to the Committee.

Workshop: Open Innovation: Public Sector Engagement with the Private Sector to Advance Innovation

How can public agencies learn and work better with businesses and start-ups to leverage a potential partnership that can yield tangible benefits? Open innovation is an approach to share and exchange knowledge with external partners to accelerate internal transformation. This workshop explores Transportation Innovation Lifecycle concepts through: (1) five presentations by domestic and international organizations, and (2) an interactive exercise to explore the idea of innovation-oriented calls or challenges and how to promote public-private-academic partnerships on prototyping and piloting.

Posters: Planning Applications + Analysis

For those of you not attending the Uncertainty Initiative mtg, head on over to the planning-applications poster session!

Lectern: At the Intersection of Development and Transport: Affordability, Vehicle Miles Traveled, and Mode Shifts

Attendees will learn methodologies and insights for better evaluating the interplay between travel demand, land development, and the cost of each.  Key topics include understanding the causal factors of holiday travel (e.g., the different roles of population density and city size), factors influencing the nonlinearity of the relationship between land development and both vehicular volume and bus rapid transit, and the impact of infill development on VMT.  Attendees will also be introduced to the role of explanatory factors on these relationships (notably income, mode performance, and auto ownership levels) as well as some innovative data collection techniques (e.g., the use of widely available remote sensing data through the National Land Cover Dataset.)

Memorial Session: Marty Wachs

Please come and share your memories and reflections on Marty's influence at this Tribute session celebrating the legacy of Marty Wachs.  A litany of honors testify to Marty Wachs' significance and standing in the worlds of transportation planning, policy, and engineering. Not least among his accomplishments is the long list of his contributions to TRB as both a volunteer and a scholar. But what qualities made Marty so influential in the careers of so many of the people who crossed paths with him? The session will offer a chance for attendees to describe how Marty impacted them and their work, whether they were his student, colleague, research collaborator, or collaborator in his numerous public service activities.

Lectern: Navigating the Future: Travel Behavior in the Age of New Mobilities

The urban mobility market is undergoing a remarkable evolution, marked by the unpredictable emergence of new mobility options and unexpected shifts in the nature of existing ones. From the rapid rise of transportation network companies to the decline of traditional taxi services, the fluctuations in carsharing, and the post-COVID downturn in transit ridership, these changes were hardly envisioned. In this dynamic landscape, it is imperative that travel behavior researchers investigate the needs, demands, and usage behaviors of emerging mobility options rigorously, relying on robust evidence and appropriate methodologies. By doing so, we can bolster our capacity to harness the full potential and maximum benefits of these transformative mobility solutions. Adapting to and understanding these changes is not just advantageous; it's essential for shaping the future of urban mobility effectively and efficiently.

Workshop: Hybrid work, activity patterns and travel choices in the post-pandemic era 

The workshop discusses how activity patterns, remote/hybrid work and travel choices are shaping in the post-pandemic era: (1) Selected experts will share research findings on remote activities and travel behavior; (2) Attendees will discuss changes in travel behavior in the post-pandemic era, and (3) Panel members will discuss impacts on society, research priorities and policy implications. Emphasis will be put on both employees' and employers' perspectives about work and activity arrangements.

Workshop: Reproducible Research: Why, What, and How

This workshop aims to attract more attention from transportation researchers on the importance of making their work reproducible, demonstrate good RR practices, stimulate healthy discussions on how to promote and reward reproducible research, and ultimately initiate the development of an actionable strategy for setting up a guideline on how to make reproducibility an essential step of the paper review process.  Workshop deliverables are short-term and medium-term plans on organizing future RR events at TRB and other venues.

2024 TRB PM Events

There are often quite a few networking events in the evening which coincide with the TRB Annual Meeting.  In addition to receptions which may be hosted by specific vendors, companies, non-profits and universities, there usually two events which specifically cater to the travel forecasting community.  As of now, both of these are unconfirmed for 2024, but we will  post updates as they are available:

• Tuesday 8:30  Zephyr Foundation for Improved Travel Analysis:  Zephie Awards 

  • 📅 Add to Calendar

• (Usually M or R evening ~9pm) Travel Modelers Meetup 

2023 TRB Annual Meeting Recap

Workshop on Setting the Travel Forecasting Research Agenda. 

Develop a shared research agenda for travel forecasting, incorporating practitioner and policy needs. 

Agenda - Summary - Presentation

Policy Insights from Travel Forecasting

Lectern Session where young professionals presented about the policy implications and insights from their research in travel forecasting. 

Subcommittee Meetings :

• Emerging Methods - Agenda - Minutes

• Statewide Modeling - Agenda - Minutes

• Technology Transfer (formerly Travel Forecasting Resource)  - Agenda - Minutes

• Integrated Modeling - Agenda - Minutes

Upcoming Conferences

2023 Innovations in Travel Analysis and Planning

"The TRB Innovations in Travel Analysis and Planning Conference will holistically address travel modeling, forecasting, and analysis in the transportation community."

• June 4-6 , 2023 in Indianapolis, IN USA

5th Bridging Transportation Researchers (BTR#5) Online Conference

Please join us online on August 9 & 10, 2023 for two days of multi-track Zoom-based meetings! 

Conference registration & details here: https://bridgingtransport.org/ 

Past Conferences

Our committee has strong ties to the following conferences:

2022 TRB Annual Meeting

Committee Meeting:

• Presentation

2021 TRB Annual Meeting [ virtual ]

Committee Meeting:

• Agenda (to come)

• Minutes (to come)

• Presentations (to come)

2020 Innovations in Travel Modeling (CANCELED)

2020 TRB Annual Meeting

Committee Meeting:

• Agenda (to come)

• Minutes (to come)

• Presentations (to come)

2019 TRB Planning Applications – Portland

2019 TRB Annual Meeting

Committee Meeting:

• Agenda (to come)

• Minutes (to come)

• Presentations (to come)

2018 TRB Innovations in Travel Modeling – Atlanta

2018 TRB Annual Meeting

Committee Meeting:

• Agenda (to come)

• Minutes (to come)

• Presentations (to come)

2017 TRB Planning Applications – Raleigh

2017 TRB Annual Meeting

Committee Meeting:

• Agenda (to come)

• Minutes (to come)

• Presentations (to come)

2016 TRB Innovations in Travel Modeling – Denver

2016 TRB Annual Meeting

Committee Meeting:

• Agenda (to come)

• Minutes (to come)

• Presentations (to come)

Forum: 6-Minute Showcase: Sustainability, Resilience, and Society

The Young Member Council - Sustainability and Resilience (YMC - S&R) is sponsoring a forum at the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Annual Meeting in January that will feature 6-minute presentations by students and young professionals (35 and under) on their sustainability, resilience, or society-related innovative research or effective practice. Prior to this Poster Session is a Lectern Session where students and young professionals presented within 6-minutes and were given feedback from three experts from each of the three fields. This Poster Session is an opportunity to speak one-on-one about the work with each of the student and young professional presenters from the 6-Minute Showcase Lectern Session.