Event promotes transportation planning studies at Texas A&M

Transportation planning faculty and students gathered on the Texas A&M campus to promote study in their discipline as part of a March 27 symposium at the College of Architecture.

Highlighting the well-attended event were lectures on transportation, its effects on the enivironment and factors that affect long-distance commuter behavior by Jean-Daniel Saphores, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California-Irvine. Saphores, who holds degrees in economics and environmental systems and geotechnical engineering, is an expert in transportation, environmental and natural resource economics.

Saphores addressed sustainability issues related to transportation activities, noting “transportation is at a crossroad because of technological, institutional, and social changes” that are “likely to have big impacts on the environmental footprint of transportation and urban land use.”

His second lecture highlighted the impact of long-distance commuting, which, he said, “contributes to about one third of the total vehicle miles traveled in the U.S.” and has “important environmental consequences” on land use and value among different socio-economic households.

The symposium was organized by Wei Li, program coordinator of Texas A&M’s Graduate Certificate in Transportation Planning. The certificate is provided by the College of Architecture, the Department of Civil Engineering, the Texas Transportation Institute and the Bush School of Government and Public Policy.

The Graduate Certificate in Transportation Planning provides students with a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary education in transportation planning.

Students completing the certificate receive a structured, interdisciplinary understanding of the role of transportation in contemporary society, as well as specialized instruction tailored to building individual skills and capabilities in four critical areas: multimodal systems planning, transit management, transportation and urban design, and transportation and public policy.

The 15 credit-hour program is open to any graduate student at Texas A&M University with an interest in transportation.

Sarah Wilson
swilson@arch.tamu.edu