Policy makers are likely to need to adopt a range of policy approaches to addressing urban freight transport and its relationship with sustainable development. They should make use of both encouragement and compulsion in achieving these efforts. In some cases it will be necessary to impose restrictions on certain aspects of goods vehicle operation and to enforce these restrictions to meet safety and environmental objectives (Low Emission Zones are an example of this type of approach). In many cases, the greatest progress will be made by working closely with the private sector to improve the efficiency and reduce the negative impacts of urban freight. The public-private partnership approach has been shown to lead to promising results. Exploring the critical success factors is essential.

All around the world, 50 high speed rail systems are already working to help shrink international carbon footprints. High speed rail is proven to be one of the most sustainable ways of moving people quickly to and from metropolitan areas. Yet, the US has been slow to put this mode of travel in motion. Even as 13 congressional corridors have been approved, The State of California has managed to stay on the fast track. This seminar will examine sustainability and demonstrate how high speed rail can be utilized to meet its goals.

High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes have been proposed as one of the most applicable and cost-effective countermeasures against freeway congestion. By allowing Single Occupancy Vehicles (SOVs) to use High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes with a toll, excess capacities of HOV lanes can be utilized. Through balancing the pricing and vehicle occupancy constraints, an HOT lane system can optimize traffic allocations between HOT and General Purpose (GP) lanes and hence enhance the overall infrastructure efficiency.

The subprime mortgage crisis that plunged the world into the Great Recession of 2008 has had a devastating effect on the US housing market, leading many to question if the market will return to pre-crisis levels, or whether a paradigm shift has occurred that will pave the way to a 'new normal'.

Overview