Photo: Greg Raisman
Emerging Issues
The Emerging Issues page is dedicated to new and/or disruptive trends that do not yet have enough research to support a research synthesis to make conclusive statements about their effects on climate change, public health, and equity. However, Streetsmart includes preliminary research and practitioner guidance here. Streetsmart's current focus is on infectious disease and new mobility.
COVID-19 and Infectious Disease
Typically, the relationship between public health and transportation has been focused on chronic disease related to physical activity, access to health-supportive destinations, and exposures to pollution. However, COVID-19 has underscored that transportation professionals must consider infectious disease in transportation planning, design, and operations.
Follow these websites for the latest developments relating to COVID-19 and transportation:
Follow these websites for the latest developments relating to COVID-19 and transportation:
New Mobility
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Prior to COVID-19, the biggest disruptions to travel behavior were forms of new mobility, such as ridehailing and micromobility (e.g., e-scooters). Of course, the relationship between infectious disease and new mobility interact: for example, will the fear of contagion reduce the demand for shared mobility? The purported climate benefits of autonomous vehicles depends on a shared electric fleet--will this be realized post-COVID? At this time, how epidemics and pandemics will affect new mobility, or travel behavior generally, is unknown much less the associated impacts on greenhouse gas emissions, public health, and equity.
Some key research centers to follow regarding autonomous vehicles, shared mobility, micromobility, ridehailing (aka transportation network companies), and more: |
Photo: Portland Bureau of Transportation
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Infectious Disease
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Resources on Disability and COVID-19 [Website] Presidents' Council on Disability Inclusion in Philanthropy, 2020 Public Transit and COVID-19 Pandemic: Global Research and Best Practices Sam Schwartz Engineering, 2020 Rethinking Streets during COVID-19: An Evidence-Based Guide to 25 Quick Redesigns for Physical Distancing, Public Use, and Spatial Equity Sustainable Cities Initiative, 2020 |
Public Transport after COVID-19: Re-Building Safe and Connected Cities C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, 2020 Examination of the Traffic Safety Environment during the Second Quarter of 2020: Special Report National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2020 Future of Public Transit: Scenario Planning for COVID-19 Recovery Institute of Transportation Studies, University of California, 2021 |
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New Mobility
Guides & Reports
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Autonomous Vehicle Heaven or Hell? Creating a Transportation Revolution that Benefits All Greenlining Institute, 2019 |
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