The National Center for Smart Growth Research and Education and the Maryland Department of Transportation are pleased to announce the establishment of a joint Transportation Policy Research Group on the campus of the University of Maryland in College Park.

The mission of the Transportation Policy Research Group is to explore new approaches to transportation policy that provides citizens with transportation choices that:

• increase mobility and accessibility,
• are economically and environmentally sustainable, and
• promote sound urban development.

To further this mission the research group will conduct advanced policy research on topics of interest to the Maryland Department of Transportation.  These issues include, but are not limited to:

• the identification of new markets for transit service;
• the implementation of transit-oriented development;
• the efficacy of congestion pricing and other demand management tools;
• the potential of Intelligent Transportation Systems,
• the effects of transportation investments on urban growth, land use, and environmental quality; and
• transportation economics and finance.

To be housed at the National Center for Smart Growth, the Transportation Policy Research Group will be co-directed by Dr. Gerrit-Jan Knaap, the Center's executive director, and Maryland Transportation Secretary, John D. Porcari.