Promoting Transportation Equity through Curriculum Interventions

Transportation equity is an integral part of the urban and regional development conversation as it relates to basic rights for citizens, including access to resources and opportunities. In response to this need, there has been an increased interest by the public sector in transportation equity education for present and future engineers, planners, and policymakers. Such education moves beyond conventional engineering and planning education and incorporates a broader range of perspectives, concepts, and ideas, including the social and environmental implications of transportation interventions. However, many universities and professional development centers in the U.S. do not currently offer courses and training materials related to equity implications of transportation planning. This report narrates the findings of a study addressing transportation equity education in the Southeast and outlines the development and implementation of a transportation equity program for planning and engineering schools. In light of our findings, we determined three key subject areas that need to be thoroughly considered in curriculum development for graduate schools, specifically in engineering fields: impact analysis, multi-criteria decision-making modeling, and social divide in new technologies.