Sustainable Technologies Applied Research (STAR) TEA-21 Project

Project Overview

The Humphrey School's State and Local Policy Program worked with the University of Minnesota's Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Institute to conduct a set of federally sponsored studies on how transportation systems can be planned in an increasingly complex social, political, economic, and technological environment.

The research team discussed common threads of their various research endeavors and arrived at a common theme, which integrates the separate activities. The theme that cuts across the tasks is "PLACES AND NETWORKS: New Hierarchies in Access and Activity." The lead phrase captures the intersection of various networks--including ITS-infused transportation networks--and how they interact with physical places. The second phrase connotes the changes that are occurring among and between networks and the dimensions (e.g., access, activity) that concern the STAR researchers.

Research efforts included the following areas (see summary matrix for a more extensive summary):

Spatial Impacts - Richard Bolan, Kevin Krizek
Wireless Telecom Planning for Emergency Transportation Services - Tom Horan
Industry Clusters - Lee Munnich
Transportation Network Dynamics - David Levinson
Education and Outreach - Lee Munnich, Tom Horan, Ken Keller

ITS Institute

The Intelligent Tranportation Systems (ITS) Institute is a University Transportation Center (UTC) funded through the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st century (TEA-21). ITS seeks to advance technology and expertise in the many disciplines that make up transportation through education, research, and technology transfer activities.