The State Smart Transportation Initiative provides research, technical assistance, and information-sharing services for transportation officials and the communities they serve for adapting practices to modern policy around efficiency, equity, and the environment.
As a joint project of the University of Wisconsin and Smart Growth America, we operate mainly in three ways:
- We run a peer network for leaders of state departments of transportation who meet regularly at our Community of Practice meetings.
- We lead research and technical assistance that informs transformative and replicable transportation reform efforts across the U.S.
- We share knowledge and best practices with the wider transportation community, including federal, state, and local agencies, community groups, and policy organizations.
SSTI’s participating state agencies differ in many respects but share a commitment to rethinking policies and processes to produce better transportation outcomes.
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Featured Webinar
Thursday October 5, 2023
11am PT, 12pm MT, 1pm CT, 2pm ET
Continuing a multi-part series, SSTI talks with researchers at the University of Minnesota’s Accessibility Observatory about their collaborative effort to document access to opportunity at a national scale. One of the project’s sponsors, Maryland DOT (MDOT), shares their perspective on using the resulting data in state performance measurement and local planning.
Our Focus Areas
Innovate DOTs
The Innovative DOT Handbook offers 34 specific recommendations to help state transportation officials position their agencies for success in the coming era.
Multimodal Access
Transportation systems that promote safe walking, biking, and public transit are the strong core of healthy economies and sustainable, equitable communities. For state DOTs, a multimodal focus often requires new standards and decision-making frameworks.
Equity
Equity in transportation is about making sure that everyone has access to employment and other opportunities; that travelers do not impose safety and environmental burdens on vulnerable residents; that bike and pedestrian networks serve all.
Demand Management
More transportation agencies are now exploring opportunities to manage travel demand and accommodate people’s daily needs with fewer and shorter car trips.
Environment
The transportation sector is now the leading source of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. and produces countless harmful pollutants that contaminate air and water. SSTI works with transportation agencies to minimize those impacts.