Something like this? rem-main.rem.sfu.ca/papers/jaxse...

We’ll be bringing together transportation scholars, practitioners, advocates, and activists to foster connection and share ideas for building an equitable and just transportation system, especially as we navigate a shifting political landscape.

We especially welcome work censored in other forums.

We’ll be bringing together transportation scholars, practitioners, advocates, and activists to foster connection and share ideas for building an equitable and just transportation system, especially as we navigate a shifting political landscape.

We especially welcome work censored in other forums.

Yes! This is the final published version. The link should give you free access: authors.elsevier.com/a/1lluT,L-HR...

Some of these students are on the job market and rely on annual meeting review feedback and presentation/networking opportunities.

TRB could have been forthright initially and just said "don't waste time submitting equity or mobility-justice related work." Instead, they dissembled. Why?

We end by considering paths forward: aligning with orgs committed to free inquiry, adapting to fewer institutional supports, and building new institutions resilient to political pressure.

Thoughts welcome. Also stay tuned for a day-long event to take place in DC in early January 2026 👀

We examine how these shifts undermine TRB’s long-standing commitments to independence, integrity, and inclusivity—changing what knowledge gets produced and shared in our field. We also interrogate the org's history, showing how much of a departure their recent actions represent.

😂

I love when well-worn findings from the planning literature get published in Science or Nature led by a computer scientist/engineer. I count four transportation citations (out of 86). Zero to planning-specific journals.

What can be done? We recommend alternative professional societies that are free from federal influence, investigating novel sources of financial support, and becoming comfortable in an era with fewer resources. Ultimately, we need to rebuilt institutions resilient to outside meddling.

I get the pressure that NAS and other orgs are under (we highlight that in the piece). But this moment is one of clarity--we shouldn't have been depending on these folks in the first place. A federal admin with ill will was always able to exert pressure in this way, with predictable results.

They're dependent on federal support, but during prior administration changes, ongoing projects were allowed to continue. TRB also restructured in 2020, but that was undertaken with substantial public input over several years.

Recent actions indicate they're no longer able to act with integrity.

TRB has historically been a critical forum for bringing researchers and practitioners together. They've also directly sponsored research on topics including pavements, airports, public transit, traffic safety, and everything in between.