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System Planning, Policy and Environment Research Group Strategic Plan

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Mission Statement

It is the mission of the System Planning, Policy, and Environment Research Group to:

  • Provide high quality research and development addressing critical transportation problems.
  • Provide technical assistance and training to advance the state-of-the-art into the state-of-the-practice in multimodal and intermodal transportation planning.
  • Provide timely innovative solutions to sponsor needs.
  • Provide state, national, and international leadership in transportation planning.
  • Provide staff with opportunities for professional growth.
  • Support the research, education, and diversity goals of the Institute and The Texas A&M University System.

Emphasis Areas

The System Planning, Policy, and Environment Research Group will accomplish its mission by focusing on activities in the following emphasis areas:

  • The SPP&E will maintain its expertise and expand its work in the following areas:
    • Transportation system, corridor, and project planning and evaluation in urban and rural areas.
      • HOV planning and evaluation
      • transit planning and evaluation
      • roadway planning and evaluation
      • freeway operational planning and evaluation
      • multimodal systems analysis
      • airport system planning
      • bicycle and pedestrian planning and evaluation
      • environmental and aesthetics planning and evaluation
    • Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) – APTS, TDM, ATMS, ATIS, CVO, ARTS, early deployment planning, evaluation, and institutional issues.
    • Transportation Demand Management/Transportation Control Measures (TDM/TCM) planning and evaluation.
      • value pricing
      • managed lanes
      • telecommunications
    • Policy analysis.
      • programming and planning management systems
      • surface transportation issue analysis
      • NAFTA impacts
    • Travel forecasting and model-calibration theory and application.
    • Mobile source emission interface with travel forecasting.
    • Land use and demographic analysis and forecasting.
    • Survey design, administration, and evaluation.
      • travel surveys
      • collection and analysis of traffic data
    • Transportation economics.
  • The SPP&E will develop expertise and new work in the following areas:
    • New travel forecasting models.
    • New travel survey methods.
    • Mobile source emission analysis.
    • Land use and land use planning models.
    • Transportation and land use interaction and interrelationships.
    • Growth related transportation issues.
    • Intermodal transportation analysis.
    • Urban goods movement.
    • Application of GIS to transportation planning.
    • Transportation finance.
    • Land use impacts.
    • TCSP
    • Sustainable development.
  • The SPP&E will enhance existing working relationships and project funding base with:
    • Texas Department of Transportation – Research Management Committee (RMC) Program
    • Texas Department of Transportation – Districts and Divisions (IACs)
    • Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO)
    • Dallas Area Rapid Transit District (DART)
    • Houston-Galveston Area Council of Governments (HGAC)
    • Other Metropolitan Transit Authorities in the State
    • Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission (TNRCC)
    • Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
    • Federal Transit Administration (FTA)
  • The SPP&E will diversify its project and funding base by pursuing opportunities with:
    • National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP)
    • Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP)
    • Transportation Research Board (TRB)
    • Selected Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) in other states
    • Fort Worth – T
    • Capital Metro
    • VIA Metropolitan Transit Authority, San Antonio
    • North Central Texas Council of Governments
    • DFW International Airport
    • Selected State Departments of Transportation
    • Selected local governments
    • Toll Road agencies
  • The SPP&E will enhance its working relationships with:
    • Other TTI divisions-especially the Transportation Systems Division, the Traffic Operations Division, the Rail Research Initiative, TransLink, and Regional Divisions.
    • The Bush School, Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Department; Political Science Department, Civil Engineering Department, Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, TEEX.
    • Other universities in the state and region, specifically UTEP, UTA, CTR, TSU, Paul Quinn College, and the North Texas Transportation Research Consortium.
    • Other universities (University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee; ITRE at North Carolina; Western Transportation Institute at Montana State University; and Rural Transportation Center at Arkansas, PATH, CMU, CTUR).
  • The SPP&E will continue to provide professional growth opportunities for staff through:
    • Participation in state and national organizations.
    • Participation in state and national conferences.
    • Supporting technical training and other activities through the SPD Professional Development Program.
    • Encouraging advanced degree work.
  • The SPP&E will pursue the following initiatives:
    • Partnership for Transportation and Tourism
    • Transportation Leaders in Texas
    • Airport Related Research Initiative for Vehicle Access and Landside System (ARRIVALS)
    • Coordinated Transit Authority Research Program
    • Center for Rural Transportation
    • Water Quality and Wetlands
    • Update Training/Professional Capacity Building
    • Air Quality Initiative