Transportation Research for Community Objectives

A university research project has acted as a trigger for action and is an example of the necessary coordination between local government and private agencies. An action-oriented research project was initiated by the Transportation Institute of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. The researchers initially conducted a preliminary analysis of transportation problems faced by the low-income neighborhoods. They then designed and conducted a research project that emphasized the possible solutions to the problems being investigated. At each point the research was tied to the actual decision makers and the decision making process. Contacts were made with local groups concerned with transportation who reviewed the project methodology and objectives.