Development of an Interdisciplinary Workshop in Urban Transportation. Final Substantive Report.

This project has developed an interdisciplinary graduate workshop in transportation engineering to acquaint students with problems of urban transportation and the role of various disciplines in dealing with these problems. It provides an opportunity for students from the fields of engineering, urban and regional planning, and economics to interact with a multidisciplinary guidance staff drawn from the University, and with representatives of the U.S. Department of Transportation, local government agencies, and consulting firms. Planning for each workshop includes the selection of an urban area for study. Each student must select an aspect of the problem within his field of competence, to study it in depth, and to participate in weekly conferences in the capacity of a specialist in his subject area. Students are required to prepare research papers, and those considered to be most worthy of attention are collected in a volume and disseminated to agencies and organizations considered in the study, as well as to the National Technical Information Service. An evaluation of the project focuses on problems encountered in implementing this type of program and on improvements which have been made. A list of recommendations is included. (Author/JN)