TR News - Transportation Research Board

INTRODUCTIONJOSEPH F. COUGHLIN, ROBIN KLINE, AND KATHERINE F. TURNBULLThe face of the UnitedStates of America isundergoing change. Thepopulation is more ethnicallydiverse, is getting older, andis increasing in numbers.These trends are forecast tocontinue. The U.S. CensusBureau projects that thenation’s population will growto 438 million by 2050, anearly 43 percent increasefrom today’s population ofapprox imately 307 million.The Census Bureau estimatesthat 80 percent of thisincrease will come fromimmigrants and their descendants.At the same time, moreAmericans are living inmegaregions; telecommutingand alternative workarrangements are gaining adoption; and one-person householdsare increasing. With dynamic changes in national andglobal economic activity, uncertainty about the availabilityand cost of energy, and rapid advances in technology, a differentpicture emerges of the United States in 2050.All of these factors have significant implications for thetransportation system. The sociodemographic and economiccharacteristics of the population influence transportationdemand for different modes. Age, income,gender, ethnicity, household size, and automobile availabilityare some of the variables that influence travel behavior.Providing safe mobility for the aging baby boomgeneration, for a more ethnically diverse population, andfor a larger population is critical for the nation’s economicvitality and quality of life.The Transportation Research Board (TRB) is at the forefrontof examining the potential impacts of demographicchanges on the transportation system. TRB technicalstanding committees are sponsoring specialty conferences,workshops, and Annual Meeting sessions on a range ofrelated topics. Committees also are developing researchproblem statements and areassisting in the disseminationof results from current studies.TRB’s National CooperativeHighway ResearchProgram is launching a majorresearch project on the effectsof sociodemographics ontravel behavior.This issue of TR News highlightsinformation presentedat the 2008 conference on theImpact of Changing Demographicson the TransportationSystem, sponsored by theResearch and Innovative TechnologyAdministration of theU.S. Department of Transportation,and organized byTRB. Articles on the changingracial and ethnic mix andtransportation, gender differencesand transportation,aging and transportation, and the mobility and safety ofolder women highlight current research. TRB continues topursue activities to improve understanding—and to predictthe influence—of sociodemographic changes on thetransportation system.The authors served on the Planning Team for the 2008Impact of Changing Demographics on the TransportationSystem Conference, chaired by Coughlin, who is Director ofthe New England University Transportation Center and Age-Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge.Kline is a University Program Specialist with theResearch and Innovative Technology Administration, Washington,D.C. Executive Associate Director of the Texas TransportationInstitute, College Station, Turnbull chairs the TRBPlanning and Environment Group.EDITOR’S NOTE: Appreciation is expressed to TRB Senior ProgramOfficer Thomas R. Menzies, Jr., for his contributionsin developing this issue of TR News.TR NEWS 264 SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 20093