Current research projects include:
- Maryland Statewide Transportation Model – This project, sponsored by the Maryland State Highway Administration, led by the National Center for Smart Growth and working in conjunction with PB World, INFORUM and Dr. Thomas Hammer, aims to develop a suite of models to forecast passenger and freight demand under several future economic and development scenarios. The project has nearly completed Phase 1, which includes statewide passenger and freight models and models of the national and state economic conditions and land use. Future phases of this work will improve the capabilities of these models with respect to transit, congestion pricing, and the local land development process.
- Study of Workforce Housing, Transportation and Employment Decisions: Implications for Siting Future Federal Facilities – Sponsored by the US General Services Administration, this research will assist the federal government in locating future federal facilities within the Washington, DC region. The research team is led by the DC Office of Planning and includes Dr. Kelly J. Clifton from the National Center for Smart Growth and Dr. Casey Dawkins from Virginia Tech. The project will assess the future workforce needs of the federal government, model housing affordability and transportation costs, and develop models of residential location and commuting mode choice.
- Evaluating Campus Sustainable Transport Issues: Strategies for Reducing Single Occupant Vehicle Trips to Campus – Dr. Clifton will develop a framework to analyze campus transportation issues that can be applied at the various campus locations within the University of Maryland System. The goal is to assist these institutions in achieving their sustainability goals and become leaders in climate change research and action.
- Modeling Car Ownership in Maryland – Funded by the Center for Integrated Transportation Systems Management at the University of Maryland, this research will develop a car ownership model (number and type) for the State of Maryland that is sensitive to household and economic characteristics, urban context and available technologies, including fuel economy and type, navigation technologies and other innovations. This effort is led by Dr. Kelly J. Clifton and Dr. Cinzia Cirillo.
- Transportation Choices and Weather – Dr. Clifton is working with the Sydney, Australia Household Travel Survey, a 12 -year continuous survey of household travel patterns, to examine the impact of weather on non-motorized transportation, including adaptations and responses to climate.