Empirical research studies across multiple fields employ data from large surveys for their analysis. In doing so, studies must address such sampling-related issues as non-response, missing data, unequal sampling, and other survey biases. The voluntary nature of most surveys means that, in many empirical applications, data are not randomly selected from the population. Instead, researchers
Pedestrian safety remains a critical concern, with a significant rise in pedestrian fatalities in recent years. In 2022 alone, 7,522 pedestrians died in crashes, marking a troubling 57% rise from 2013 (Smart Growth America, 2024). However, traditional safety research focusing on crash outcomes and infrastructure factors has failed to capture the nuanced behavioral aspects that
Active transportation, encompassing walking and cycling, presents a multifaceted solution to contemporary societal challenges. The benefits of widespread active transportation extend beyond environmental improvements through reduced vehicle emissions to include economic revitalization of local businesses through increased foot traffic and public health enhancements by providing an accessible form of physical activity that improves cardiovascular health,
Modeling Spatial Dependency of Active Travel Behavior Read More »
Traditional travel behavior surveys are resource-intensive and constrained by challenges such as small sample sizes, response bias, and high costs. With the rapid advancements in artificial intelligence, particularly LLMs, we now have the opportunity to explore novel, cost-efficient methods for creating synthetic data comparable to real-world survey results. However, the potential of LLMs to contribute
Potential Use of Large Language Models (LLMs) for Travel Behavior Survey Research Read More »
This study addresses a critical gap in the literature by offering a novel analytical lens to understanding walking behaviors among older adults in the post-pandemic era. The walking survey of older adults in the US population to be used in the proposed research was undertaken through the Foresight 50+ Consumer Omnibus panel survey, which constitutes
E-commerce growth has transformed retail, offering unparalleled convenience but causing a surge in product delivery returns. Industry reports show 30% of online purchases are returned, compared to 9% for brick-and-mortar stores, resulting in an $817 billion financial burden in 2022, with online retail accounting for a quarter. The impacts extend beyond finances, straining logistics and
Public transportation has experienced rapid changes in ridership over the past several years, driven by the COVID-19 pandemic. Numerous studies have focused on how health concerns and social distancing/lockdown measures during the pandemic resulted in the immediate decline in public transportation usage. For instance, in many cities within the US, transit ridership declined to a
The transportation sector is one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions and accounts for nearly 45% of global oil demand, primarily due to the widespread use of internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs). In fact, while the United States has seen overall reductions of greenhouse gas emissions of around 3% since 1990, emissions in
A Model of EV Adoption and Rank-Based Contributing Factors Read More »
In an era characterized by transformative shifts in demographics, lifestyles, work patterns, technological advances, societal values, and climate and environmental conditions, decision-makers are now confronted with ever-increasing, multifaceted uncertainties. The TBD National Center has launched a flagship initiative, called the TBD Hub, to provide transportation decision-makers information and deep insights about the state of the
Travel Behavior Data (TBD) Hub Read More »
The relationship between the built environment (BE) and travel behavior (TB) has long interested scholars and practitioners in transportation, urban planning and design, health, and other fields. The proposed research aims to advance knowledge of the BE-TB relationship by taking a dynamic analysis approach. The study will pool three activity-travel surveys (1998, 2007, and 2017)
