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    <title>Research in Progress (RIP)</title>
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    <copyright>Copyright © 2026. National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.</copyright>
    <docs>http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss</docs>
    <managingEditor>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</managingEditor>
    <webMaster>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</webMaster>
    <image>
      <title>Research in Progress (RIP)</title>
      <url>https://rip.trb.org/Images/PageHeader-wTitle-RIP.jpg</url>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/</link>
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    <item>
      <title>Enhancing Rural Public Transportation Through Community Engagement and Technology</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2652178</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Rural public transportation in the United States faces persistent challenges due to low population densities, inadequate infrastructure, and limited mobility options. This project aims to address these issues by leveraging advanced technologies, including digital twins and mobile applications, to enhance transit planning, scheduling, and efficiency. The study will focus on rural Texas, exploring innovative transportation models that incorporate a mix of fixed-route transit, autonomous vehicles, transportation network companies, and on-demand services tailored to meet community needs. A key component of the project is the development of a digital twin, a virtual representation of the rural transportation network, to simulate and optimize transit operations. By integrating real-time data from mobile platforms, the digital twin will enable planners to test different service configurations, predict ridership patterns, and enhance accessibility, particularly for older adults and individuals with disabilities. This approach will facilitate cost-effective, demand-responsive transit solutions that enhance mobility and improve quality of life. Community engagement is central to the project, ensuring that transportation solutions align with the needs of residents. Public meetings and stakeholder discussions will guide decision-making, while performance metrics, including user adoption, service coverage, and cost efficiency, will assess the effectiveness of the implemented strategies. The outcomes of this study will provide a replicable framework for rural mobility solutions, demonstrating how digital tools and participatory planning can transform public transit systems in rural and low-density areas. ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 13 Jan 2026 15:14:48 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2652178</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Techniques for Assessing Community Technology Readiness for Rural Development: Planning for Community Readiness Using Digital Twins</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2633014</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This research project aims to advance rural transportation planning by developing a Digital Twin framework to assess emerging technology readiness. Rural and small-town regions, typically with populations under 50,000, face distinct challenges such as infrastructure limitations, economic constraints, and limited planning capacity. To address these issues, the project will enhance the Tool for Assessing Community Technology Readiness (TACT-R) by integrating advanced data-driven methodologies that support scenario-based planning, disruption analysis, and informed decision-making. The Digital Twin will serve as a dynamic, virtual representation of rural transportation infrastructure. It will enable users to simulate infrastructure improvements, assess the impacts of disruptions, and evaluate the deployment of emerging technologies. Community engagement will be supported through an interactive deliberation dashboard that allows planners, agency staff, and local stakeholders to collaborate on scenario testing and investment planning. Deliverables will include a validated Digital Twin model, simulation scenarios, interactive dashboards, user manuals, and training materials to support future deployment and long-term technology adoption in rural areas. The Digital Twin and its components will be integrated into the TACT-R website and the Center for Regional and Rural Connected Communities (CR2C2) website, which will serve as the primary platform for knowledge dissemination, stakeholder engagement, and implementation support. 

]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 02 Dec 2025 15:05:52 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2633014</guid>
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    <item>
      <title>Community Responsive Approaches to Infrastructure Risk and Benefits</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2495004</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Centering underserved communities and prioritizing community engagement, this project will assess how infrastructure resiliency risks and benefits to transportation infrastructure are (1) cataloged by researchers and (2) conceptualized by communities. This project will conduct a systematic review of research and practice approaches to infrastructure risks and benefits in the US in parallel with qualitative research with community groups to understand needs and efficacy of current response strategies in partnership with local planners, policymakers, and engineers. Working collectively with community partners, this project will improve methods for collecting community-level data and providing  opportunities for vulnerable communities to provide input on infrastructure resiliency and impacts. Findings will reveal whether there are gaps among research, practice, and community perspectives in risk and benefit indicators to provide policy-actionable metrics to improve decision-making.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 31 Jan 2025 16:36:04 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2495004</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>RES2020-17: Community Engagement in Rural Communities</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2499165</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Public involvement is defined as a two-way communication aimed at providing information to the public and incorporating the views, concerns, and issues of the public in the transportation decision-making process. By involving the public early in planning transportation projects and throughout the development and implementation 
of projects, a transportation agency can enhance its ability to establish relationships, credibility, and consensus throughout the course of the project. Most of Tennessee consists of rural and small communities. These communities face challenges such as scare resources, technological, geographical, demographic shifts, which can limit effective engagement capabilities. Engagement strategies that are effective for urbanized and metropolitan areas may not be as effective for these rural communities. This study employed a mixed method research approach to identify best practices for engaging rural communities in transportation planning and decision making. The research methodology involves an extensive literature review, interviews with four OCT supervisors, interviews with twenty-four community leaders in four case communities in Tennessee, and two rounds of Delphi community survey. The research process brought together all key stakeholders to build a true consensus of best practices to engage rural communities in transportation planning. Data analysis showed rural communities feel detached and unaware of the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT)’s role in and plans for community transportation. Engaging rural communities using social media and conducting virtual meetings can reach wider sections of the community. However, due to lack of consistent internet and cell phone coverage in rural communities, this type of outreach cannot replace in-person engagement. Securing support of the community leaders, having a presence in the community, and building partnerships will increase trust in TDOT and foster better engagement. A list of recommendations is provided that will enhance rural engagement for long range community transportation planning in Tennessee]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 29 Jan 2025 16:06:08 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2499165</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Digital Twins for Roadway Safety: A Community-Engaged Approach</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2472698</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Digital Twins (DTs) are virtual representations of physical infrastructure that enable simulation and analysis for improved decision-making. This project leverages DTs to address roadway safety by incorporating concerns and solutions identified through local engagement. The study involves creating geospatial DT models of prioritized safety issues, validating them with predictive traffic models, and co-developing solutions with community members. Outputs include scalable methodologies for data-informed safety planning, public education on DT technology, and actionable recommendations for enhancing transportation safety across various settings.
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 09 Dec 2024 10:16:46 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2472698</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Evaluating the Public Engagement Processes Used in State Transportation Planning and Design</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2470851</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This project examines public engagement processes in state transportation planning and project design across Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia. Building on our Year 1 study of decision-making in the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT), this Year 2 research expands the scope to assess engagement strategies used by state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) in the region. Using a multiple case study design, we will conduct a document review and informational interviews with key informants to analyze the consistency, variation, and effectiveness of public engagement practices. Key research questions include: (1) How effective are public engagement processes in state transportation planning and design? (2) What methods are used to engage different communities? and (3) How have engagement strategies evolved, particularly in response to the COVID-19 pandemic? Rather than critiquing state agencies, this study aims to document engagement processes constructively and provide insights for improving participation efforts. Findings will be shared with state DOT leadership and local government officials, contributing to both transportation planning research and practice. This study will also inform a potential Year 3 project that identifies engagement challenges and evaluates strategies to enhance public participation in transportation decision-making.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 06 Dec 2024 16:30:30 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2470851</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Virtual Reality as a Tool to Enhance Public Involvement Process</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2447165</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This project explores the use of Virtual Reality (VR) as a public involvement tool in transportation planning, offering an immersive experience to engage communities in proposed project designs. By comparing traditional visualizations (e.g., maps, 2D renderings), 3D videos, and VR immersion, the study aims to assess the effectiveness of VR in communicating complex design elements to the public. The research involves developing a VR simulation of a double roundabout in Bristol, Virginia, enabling participants to experience and provide feedback on the design from the perspectives of drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists. Ultimately, the project will produce a guidance document to aid the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) in implementing VR for future public involvement efforts.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 30 Oct 2024 15:36:10 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2447165</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Socio Economic Impacts of Technology Based Stakeholder Engagement Platforms</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2040366</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Michigan, as well as the nation, has been forever changed as a result of social interaction ripples created by the Covid
pandemic. Isolation and distance have been a few of the tools utilized to slow the virus spread. All walks of life have
adjusted daily interaction with others to alleviate the virus spread. The pandemic health measures mandated technology
play a larger role in closing the communication distance. This approach fosters a couple questions. Has the pandemic
environment of technology-based communication platforms promoted a dichotomy in stakeholder involvement? Cities
and States credit Web based engagement platforms for a significant increase in stakeholder engagement. However, are
socio-economic challenged neighborhoods / census tracts able to utilize new tech platforms? Or, has their voice been
further diminished via socio economic in-equality? Furthermore, at times of heighten stakeholder stress, are there
thresholds at which point socio-economic groups simply ‘shut down’. Hearing stakeholders is the foundation from which
well-designed transportation solutions are built. However, if the abilities and limits of the stakeholders are not
understood, can or are engagement techniques effective?]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 22 Jul 2024 13:06:37 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2040366</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Emerging Practices in Community Engagement for Transportation Planning</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2389228</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The purpose of the study is to examine new and emerging techniques and develop approaches for integrating them into the current Florida Department of Transportation
(FDOT) system of resources and training, including but not limited to updates to the PERG, to ensure that the interests of key affected groups are adequately integrated into project planning. The key objectives of the study are to: (1) ensure FDOT employees and consultant staff have access to the most up-to-date guidance and approaches, (2) design engagement approaches that build public consensus and support around planned infrastructure projects, and (3) support planning processes that promote infrastructure projects that align with the seven goals of the Florida Transportation Plan.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 11 Jun 2024 08:19:25 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2389228</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Compensating Community Members for Participation in Transportation Decision-Making: Emerging Best Practices</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2381708</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The project was canceled as a result of two Presidential Executive Orders: Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing (January 20, 2025) and Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity (January 21, 2025).]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 20 May 2024 19:59:43 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2381708</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Updated Graphics and Report for “Urban Applications of Innovative Intersection Design”</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2362120</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Across North Carolina, communities are increasingly anxious to foster walkable mixed-use development at urban-level densities. This is partly because older suburban land uses adjacent to many NCDOT highways are languishing and communities see Complete Streets and Form-Based Codes as a means of rejuvenating economic development and creating the “great places” that they feel like they lack. It’s not
just “languishing suburban” aiming for walkable, urban densities – many greenfield locations are aiming for “urban town centers” right from the beginning, and still other locations already are fully urban, and need traffic management solutions that respect and enhance their multimodal appeal. NCDOT has a new Complete Streets policy, but the department is better-known for “Stroads” than for delivering projects that are viewed by stakeholders as walkable and livable, and thereby helping catalyze the “suburban to urban” transformation communities are seeking. This is not a critique of NCDOT – it is
the common reality all over America, and it is born out of the conundrum of highways pulling double duty, serving local economic access needs and attempting to manage high traffic levels over relatively long distances at the same time. If anything, NCDOT is to be commended for national leadership in aiming to discover how to deliver a different product to existing and aspiring urban activity centers.

This continuation effort from NCDOT RP 2021-22 aims to update visuals to be used in presentations for NCDOT when making cases for alternative designs in urban and suburban settings. It is well known that conveying these concepts to practitioners, municipal staff, or citizens is extremely challenging. Aerial and “street level” scenes of various alternative designs help convey the benefits to other modalities by freeing up right-of-way. In addition, other benefits such as revitalization can be more easily discussed once the scene is better understood.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 04 Apr 2024 10:07:32 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2362120</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title> Transportation and Health: Tools for Community Engagement</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2335156</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Engagement of communities is a critical element of promoting health in transportation and promoting community-centered decision-making. This project uses dissemination and implementation research methods for a unique application in the metropolitan Atlanta to develop a framework and community-engagement tools for transportation planners.  Atlanta has some of the worst traffic congestion in the United States, and traffic-related air pollution has contributed to poor air quality in the region. Atlanta’s transportation system also carries a legacy of historical housing and transportation policies to mandate residential segregation. For example, Interstate 20 (I-20), the east-west corridor that connects with I-75 and I-85 in the downtown center of Atlanta. Currently, transportation planning in Atlanta exists within this historical context and requires a health-focused outlook to mitigate the impacts of these historical decisions. Community leaders of neighborhood planning units (NPUs) in Atlanta are routinely engaged in decisions of neighborhood development and redevelopment, light rail systems planning, the expansion of the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority, transit-oriented development (e.g., the Atlanta Beltline Project), and what constitutes a safer, more equitable and sustainable transportation network. This project will explore advances in transportation systems and associated technologies in relationship to community health, with a focus on Atlanta as a case study. The project will be conducted collaboratively with NPU leaders to increase awareness of issues related to transportation and health and how new systems and technologies address the concerns and needs of each neighborhood.  The results of the project will be used to develop a framework and informational and screening tools related to health that can be used by transportation practitioners for public or community engagement.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 06 Feb 2024 16:58:14 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2335156</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Community-Centered Traffic Safety</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2325713</link>
      <description><![CDATA["Community-Centered Traffic Safety" is a research project focused on addressing the complex issue of traffic safety through a multifaceted, locally informed approach. Recognizing the limitations of uniform strategies, the project explores traffic safety challenges by considering varied cultural, financial, and infrastructural factors that influence different communities. The project includes four research thrusts: evaluating the effectiveness of current citation fine structures across different population groups, developing tailored safety messaging, creating a crowdsourced app to identify local safety concerns, and analyzing pedestrian crashes near transit stops to identify contributing factors.

This comprehensive effort involves collaboration with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) and interdisciplinary student participation from Engineering, Planning, and Public Policy departments. The project will engage with local communities through surveys, focus groups, and observational studies, and will use the UMassSafe Crash Data Warehouse for analysis. Expected outcomes include a proposed revision to the fine structure, targeted traffic safety campaigns, and a prototype of a community-informed app. The project also emphasizes student involvement in data analysis, stakeholder collaboration, and app testing, contributing to the broader goal of improving traffic safety and strengthening community engagement.
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 22 Jan 2024 12:27:43 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2325713</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Capacity Building and Workforce Development for Coastal Transportation Infrastructure Exposed to Multi-hazards: Phase I</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2260010</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Coastal communities have been particularly affected due to the cascading effects of multi-hazard natural and technological events. Floods and storm surge, debris from extreme winds, corrosion and salinity, lack of alternative routes and services, and infrastructure failure are some of the effects of extreme events in coastal areas. Critical infrastructure, such as power plants, industrial parks, housing developments, communication hubs, water and wastewater treatment plants, industrial parks, shopping centers, maritime transportation facilities and terminals and essential supporting infrastructure in coastal areas need to cope with the recovery process after catastrophes. Achieving needed resources and sustaining the technical capacity to deal with emerging issues related to shifting population, transportation demand, technological and extreme weather is one of the known challenges for local and state transportation agencies. This project will evaluate the experiences of coastal contexts, recognize strategies for adaptation and change of transportation infrastructure, identify communication and information limitations of coastal communities, and study the challenges for attracting a workforce that reflects the variety of perspectives of coastal communities. The project workplan is divided into three major tasks.

The first task will develop a framework in education and capacity building to address coastal infrastructure design, construction, and maintenance issues as a pipeline for workforce development to reach stakeholders, namely, government officials, policy makers, academia, and the community. Emphasis will be placed on the best practices in the application of durability of transportation infrastructure on coastal areas. 

The second task will review the state-of-the-art and the practice on hazards, exposure, risks, and resilience of the transportation infrastructure in mobility corridors through affected coastal communities and will assess opportunities for improving durability. A case study in Puerto Rico will be used to gather data to develop a decision support system that improve the decision-making process to assign operational decisions before, during and after an extreme event and help make recommendations to improve the operation and management of the transportation system in selected critical corridors.  

The third task will foster improved public involvement in the planning and execution of transportation projects in coastal areas, within the framework of mobility. Activities include defining the factors and performance measures of mobility from the perspective of stakeholders of coastal communities, develop a methodology to collect community preferences at the inception of a transportation infrastructure project using visualizations technologies such as virtual reality and others, and develop case studies to validate the method with communities with cultural, language, and context differences. ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 03 Oct 2023 21:54:18 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2260010</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>TriMet operator safety and rider awareness campaign</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2071586</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (Tri-Met) will receive funding to develop and disseminate educational material for riders on how to identify and report potential risks to riders and operators and install digital displays at key transit centers to share information on safety-related topics. The goal is to reduce operator assaults and increase public participation in reporting threats to the safety of operators and passengers.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 28 Nov 2022 14:20:15 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2071586</guid>
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