Welcome to the National Center for Understanding Future Travel Behavior and Demand (TBD)!
At TBD, we are committed to advancing the nation’s transportation system by developing novel insights into travel behavior and demand, informing decision-making, and educating the next generation of transportation professionals with innovative and interdisciplinary approaches.
News
TBD National Center Holds Its Annual Meeting
TBD Center held its 2025 Annual Meeting at UT Austin on March 5, bringing together researchers, students, and partners to share progress, unveil new tools, and plan for the future. See more details here.
How Road Expansion Impacts Congestion – Prof. Alex Anas
Time Use, Travel, and Telework Dashboard (T3D)
Transportation Heartbeat of America Survey
Travel Behavior Data (TBD) Hub
Latest Publications
Understanding How Extreme Heat Impacts Human Activity-Mobility and Time Use Patterns
A new study by TBD researchers investigates how extreme heat conditions affect individuals’ activity-travel behaviors and time use patterns. The study aims to uncover how people adjust their mobility in response to extreme heat and which groups are most vulnerable to its impacts.
Emerging Travel Behavior Insights from 2023 National Surveys
This brief reviews the American Community Survey (ACS), the Consumer Expenditure (CE) Survey, and the American Time Use Survey (ATUS), with respect to questions that give insight into travel behaviors.
Discover Our Research
TBD’s research aims to unravel the underlying and interlinked behavioral processes that shape the movement of passengers and goods. Our research is anchored in three key innovation areas.
Thrust 1
Data Collection Mechanisms
Good data is critical to decision-making. A key focus of TBD is data collection, focusing on the methods for collecting, compiling, and fusing disparate data.
Thrust 2
Data Modeling and Analytic Tools
This thrust is aimed at advancing computational analysis and modeling methods – harnessing the power of new algorithms and software platforms for building new models and dashboards capable of providing actionable information to policymakers.
Thrust 3
Understanding User Needs
With the recognition that travel demand, unintended consequences, and services, technologies, and pricing structures need to be managed, this thrust focuses on the user (agent) through a management lens, with a view to advance policies and investments to address user needs in a heterogeneous population.
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Let’s Create Together
Connect with us to explore how we can work together to make our vision a reality. Join us in shaping the future.