Todd Litman
Todd Litman is the executive director of the Victoria Transport Policy Institute.
Contributed 439 posts
Todd Litman is founder and executive director of the Victoria Transport Policy Institute, an independent research organization dedicated to developing innovative solutions to transport problems. His work helps to expand the range of impacts and options considered in transportation decision-making, improve evaluation methods, and make specialized technical concepts accessible to a larger audience. His research is used worldwide in transport planning and policy analysis.
Mr. Litman has worked on numerous studies that evaluate transportation costs, benefits and innovations. He authored the Online TDM Encyclopedia, a comprehensive Internet resource for identifying and evaluating mobility management strategies; Transportation Cost and Benefit Analysis: Techniques, Estimates and Implications, a comprehensive study which provides cost and benefit information in an easy-to-apply format; and Parking Management Best Practices, the most comprehensive book available on management solutions to parking problems. Mr. Litman is a frequent speaker at conferences and workshops. His presentations range from technical and practical to humorous and inspirational. He is active in several professional organizations, including the Institute of Transportation Engineers and the Transportation Research Board (a section of U.S. National Academy of Sciences). He is a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of Transportation Research A, a professional journal.
Accessibility, Mobility and Automobile Dependency
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt" class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small">Let me wade into an ongoing debate among fellow Planetizen bloggers </span><a href="/node/42367"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small">Samuel Staley</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small"> and </span><a href="/node/42323"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small">Michael Lewyn</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small"> concerning the meanings of <em>accessibility</em> and <em>mobility,</em> and their implications for transportation and land use policy. </span> </p>
Report from TRB
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'"> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt" class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-size: small; font-family: Calibri">Last week I attended the </span><a href="http://www.trb.org/AnnualMeeting2010/Public/AnnualMeeting2010.aspx"><span style="font-size: small; font-family: Calibri">Transportation Research Boards (TRB)</span></a><span style="font-size: small; font-family: Calibri"> 89th annual meeting, which attracted approximately 10,000 transportation professionals from around the globe to Washington DC. More than 2,000 papers were presented at more than 700 sessions, plus several hundred committee meetings took place. Let me share some highlights.</span> </p>
Fun With Research: Higher Fuel Prices Increase Economic Productivity
<p> <span style="font-family: Calibri"><span style="font-size: small">Last week I posted a blog, “</span><span style="font-size: 7.5pt; line-height: 115%"><a href="/node/42026"><strong>Win-Win Transportation Emission Reduction Strategies: Good News for Copenhagen</strong></a>”</span><span><span style="font-size: small"> which described emission reduction strategies that also help achieve economic and social objectives. I’ve continued doing research on the subject and made some additonal discoveries that I can report on now.</span></span></span> </p>
Win-Win Transportation Emission Reduction Strategies: Good News for Copenhagen
<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt" class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Calibri">Here is good news for anybody looking for smart ways to reduce climate change. </span><a href="http://www.vtpi.org/wwclimate.pdf"><span style="font-family: Calibri; color: #0000ff">"Win-Win" transportation emission reduction strategies</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri"> can provide substantial energy conservation and emission reductions in ways that also help achieve economic and social objectives.</span> </p>
Automobility and Freedom: Conflicts and Resolutions
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-size: small; font-family: Times New Roman">Much of my work involves developing </span><a href="http://www.vtpi.org/tdm"><span style="font-size: small; font-family: Times New Roman">transportation demand management and smart growth policies</span></a><span style="font-size: small; font-family: Times New Roman"> which improve travel options (walking, cycling, public transit, carsharing, etc.), reform pricing and transport planning to encourage travelers to choose the most efficient mode for each trip, and create more accessible, multi-modal communities.