The movement of people, as with the movement of goods and services, is an integral component of the U.S. economy. The movement of people, however, is more complex, influenced by diverse behaviors, needs, and wants.
In its history, the Marketing Institute’s research has focused on observing, measuring, and influencing behaviors that affect consumption of transportation services. The Institute has also been involved on the consumer level by developing services, in cooperation with its numerous sponsors, to help satisfy often overlooked needs for greater consumer choice in transportation products.
Historically, transportation research has focused on supply-side strategies that seek to move ever increasing numbers of motorists through increased capacity (e.g. roadway construction, parking, etc.). As evidenced by continued and growing concerns over traffic congestion, air quality, childhood and adult obesity, and environmental degradation, the success and long-term sustainability of supply-side transportation planning has become suspect, succeeding more often than not in moving vehicles rather than people. Rising concerns over the fiscal investment in roadway construction and maintenance (as well as the personal economics of rising fuel costs) have only exacerbated the problem.
Additionally, mobility barriers and land-use planning have become a constraint on economic growth in many parts of the country, and human resource operations find themselves at the mercy of a outdated transportation networks that may not fully address the needs of a mobile work force.
The mobility of our citizens is critical to the financial health and prosperity of our nation. Regrettably, the limits of existing mobilization efforts have been seen in the prelude and tragic wake of both natural and human-made disasters. These same events trigger a ripple effect in the U.S. economy – impacting business continuity, product movement, and consumer pricing.
Traditional mobility approaches have also neglected or failed to penetrate into some populations such as the transportation disadvantaged, mitigating their potential as an important consumer segment. The ability of employers and business to overcome such barriers in the recruitment and retention of both employees and customers also needs to be addressed.
Accepting that these barriers exist, the fundamental challenge now becomes how to increase mobility while sustaining a community’s economic and environmental health. How do we develop transportation products and services that facilitate increased mobility demands without depleting natural resources? How do we package transportation services in a way that influences and motivates consumer use? How do we, as a nation, rethink land-use patterns that minimize urban sprawl while maintaining economic growth?
These are the research fundamentals upon which the Institute has built a national reputation.