Lecture Resources

Sustainable Transportation Curriculum for Universities

This section provides information on the 12 individual lectures developed in PowerPoint format that form the basis for this curriculum. In addition, three recorded videos combine parts of the 12 lectures to provide “Transportation 101,” “Sustainable Transportation 101,” and “INVEST 101” modules, which can be used together or individually in other settings. Taken together, the three “101” modules can stand alone as a high-level overview of the content of the curriculum or can supplement delivery of the course in a classroom setting. Therefore, there are some overlaps in content between some lectures and the recorded modules, with the lectures providing more depth on the topics.

Lecture Descriptions

Table 2 provides an overview of the lectures, along with suggestions for whether the lecture can be used as stand-alone content in other courses. The lectures are ordered to fit the suggested course plan outlined earlier. However, instructors may re-order lectures to better suit a particular audience. For example, those with some familiarity with transportation trends and challenges may find it more impactful to end the course with Lecture 1 rather than beginning with it. In other cases, lectures may be omitted depending on the audience; for example, when delivering this course with a planning focus, Lectures 9 and 10 could be removed, and content outside of planning could be de‑emphasized in other lectures.

Table 2: Description of Lectures

Lecture Title	Overview
Lecture 1: Transportation—Current Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities	This lecture provides an overview of the changing transportation landscape, and major trends and associated challenges we are facing.
Lecture 2: Introduction to Sustainability	This lecture discusses the concept of sustainability as a global issue that transcends transportation. The lecture introduces the relationship between sustainability and transportation, and between sustainability and emerging transportation trends.
Lecture 3: Transportation Infrastructure Delivery and Decision Making	This lecture provides an overview of the transportation infrastructure development and delivery process in the United States to provide the context for how sustainability practices can be implemented.
Lecture 4: Sustainability and Transportation—Key Concepts	This lecture builds on the sustainability concepts in Lecture 2 to specifically discuss key concepts and linkages between sustainability and transportation. This lecture can stand alone as a brief overview of linkages between sustainability and transportation.
Lecture 5: Sustainability and Transportation—Frameworks, Indicators, and Performance Measures	This lecture discusses frameworks, indicators, and performance measures for sustainability. The lecture discusses in detail the application of the sustainability performance measurement (SPM) framework developed as part of a National Cooperative Highway Research Program project. This lecture can stand alone as a practitioner education module for transportation agencies interested in implementing performance measures for sustainability.
Lecture 6: Sustainable Transportation Rating Systems—Part 1	This lecture introduces sustainable transportation rating systems, and discusses the BE2ST-in-Highways, Envision, GreenLITES, and Greenroads rating systems. Lectures 6 and 7 can be used together as a stand-alone module on rating systems.
Lecture 7: Sustainable Transportation Rating Systems—Part 2	This lecture continues with the rating systems introduced in Lecture 6 and discusses the I-LAST and INVEST rating systems. The lecture then provides a comparison between the rating systems studied in Lectures 6 and 7. Lectures 6 and 7 can be used together as a stand-alone module on rating systems.
Lecture 8: Sustainability in Transportation Planning and Project Development	This lecture provides an overview of how sustainability can be linked to transportation planning and project development. The lecture provides examples of objectives and measures applicable at the planning and project development level(s) for a set of 11 sustainable transportation goals.
Lecture 9: Sustainability in Highway Construction Practices and Transportation Operations and Maintenance	This lecture discusses sustainability practices and sustainability objectives linked to construction, operations, and maintenance.
Lecture 10: Achieving Sustainability through Business Practices	This lecture discusses how sustainable practices are incorporated into business practices, including aspects such as contracting and sustainability, a business case for sustainability, and sustainability management plans.
Lecture 11: Overview of INVEST	This lecture provides an overview of INVEST. The lecture also discusses how the tool can be used to measure sustainability, support other collaborative approaches to implementing sustainability, and make a business case.
Lecture 12: Using INVEST for Scoring and Evaluation	This lecture provides details on how scoring works in INVEST and the modules and criteria that may be applicable. The lecture also discusses three case studies of INVEST applied at the planning, project development, and operations and maintenance levels.

Source Material, Readings, and Case Studies

The lectures were developed using several resources, specifically the required and optional reference texts mentioned previously, which are listed as follows:

NCHRP Report 750: Strategic Issues Facing Transportation, Volume 4: Sustainability as an Organizing Principle for Transportation Agencies (2014), Booz Allen Hamilton.
NCHRP Report 708: A Guidebook for Sustainability Performance Measurement for Transportation Agencies (2011), J. Zietsman, T. Ramani, J. Potter, V. Reeder, and J. DeFlorio.
NCHRP Research Report 916: Sustainable Highway Construction Guidebook (2019), S. Muench, G. Migliaccio, J. Kaminsky, M. Ashtiani, A. Mukherjee, C. Bhat, and J. Anderson.
Sustainable Transportation: Indicators, Frameworks, and Performance Management (2016), H. Gudmundsson, R. Hall, G. Marsden, and J. Zietsman, Springer Texts in Business and Economics, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-46924-8.
TCRP Research Report 205: Social and Economic Sustainability Performance Measures for Public Transportation: Final Guidance Document (2019), H. Unger, A. Heller, L. Blackmon Lane, and D. Matherly.

In addition, each lecture used additional sources, which can serve as reading and discussion material for students. There are also examples and case studies that could be used to supplement the lecture materials. Table 3 summarizes these materials.

Table 3: Lecture Source Material, Suggested Readings, and Case Studies

Lecture Title	Additional Sources and Case Studies
Lecture 1: Transportation—Current Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities	Future Outlook Smithsonian Magazine. These Four Trends Are Changing Mobility as We Know It. Link. McKinsey and Company. The Trends Transforming Mobility’s Future. Link. Gann, David M., Mark Dodgson, and Dheeraj Bhardwaj (2011). Physical-Digital Integration in City Infrastructure. IBM Journal of Research and Development, 55.1.2: 8. Link. Spacey, John. 13 Examples of Digital Infrastructure. Link. Shaheen, Susan, and Adam Cohen. Mobility on Demand (MOD) and Mobility as a Service (MaaS) How Are They Similar and Different? Link. Goldberg, M., Gustafson, A., Rosenthal, S., Kotcher, J., Maibach, E., and Leiserowitz, A. (2020). For the First Time, the Alarmed Are Now the Largest of Global Warming’s Six Americas. Yale University and George Mason University, Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. Link. Tonachel, Luke (2015). Study: Electric Vehicles Can Dramatically Reduce Carbon Pollution from Transportation, and Improve Air Quality. NDRC. Link. Walton, Robert (2019). How New Ideas of Mobility Will Shape Public EV Charging Infrastructure. Link. Pereirinha, P. G., M. González, I. Carrilero, D. Anseán, J. Alonso, and J. C. Viera (2018). Main Trends and Challenges in Road Transportation Electrification. Transportation Research Procedia, 33, 235–242. Link. Ipsos Business Consulting (2018). Connected Car: A New Ecosystem. Link. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (2018). Critical Issues in Transportation 2019. The National Academies Press. Link Agency Initiatives/Actions TransitCenter, Applied Predictive Technologies, and Texas A&M Transportation Institute (2020) Link. Mobility Performance Metrics (MPM) for Integrated Mobility and Beyond. FTA Report No. 0152. Federal Transit Administration.Link. Federal Highway Administration (2013). Planning for Systems Management and Operations as Part of Climate Change Adaptation.Link. Bergal, Jenni (2017). Building a Sustainable ‘Highway of the Future.’ Pew Charitable Trusts. Link. Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission. Long-Range Plan. Link. Federal Highway Administration (2020). Status of the Nation's Highways, Bridges, and Transit Conditions and Performance.Link.
Lecture 2: Introduction to Sustainability	United Nations Brundtland Commission (1987). Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development: Our Common Future. Link.
Lecture 3: Transportation Infrastructure Delivery and Decision Making	Coffelt, Donald, and Chris Hendrickson (2017). Fundamentals of Infrastructure Management. All editions. Link U.S. Department of Transportation (2021) Link. U.S. Department of Transportation Administrations Link. Federal Highway Administration (2015). The Transportation Planning Process Briefing Book. Link. U.S. Department of Transportation (2020). Environmental Review and Permitting. Link. U.S. Department of Transportation (2020). Performance Measurement Fundamentals. Link. Federal Highway Administration (2017). Public Involvement/Public Participation. Link. Federal Highway Administration (2020). Incorporating Equity in the Transportation Planning Process. Guidebook for State, Regional, and Local Governments on Addressing Potential Equity Impacts of Road Pricing. Link.
Lecture 4: Sustainability and Transportation Part 1—Key Concepts	Ramani, Tara, Josias Zietsman, and Marie Ridley Pryn (2018). Towards Sustainable Transport Planning in the United States. European Journal of Transport and Infrastructure Research, 18.3. Federal Highway Administration. Sustainable Highways Initiative. Link. American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. Sustainability. Center for Environmental Excellence. Link. U.S. Department of Transportation (2019). Environment. Link. Federal Highway Administration (2017). Construction Impacts on the Environment: Strategies for Improvement. Link. World Highways (2015). Sustainable Road Construction: Current Practices and Future Concepts. Link. Victoria Transport Policy Institute (2014). Evaluating Transportation Equity: Guidance for Incorporating Distributional Impacts in Transportation Planning. Link.
Lecture 5: Sustainability and Transportation Part 2—Frameworks, Indicators, and Performance Measures	Performance Measurement Frameworks Pei, Yi Lin, Adjo A. Amekudzi, Michael D. Meyer, Elise M. Barrella, and Catherine L. Ross (2010). Performance Measurement Frameworks and Development of Effective Sustainable Transport Strategies and Indicators. Transportation Research Record, 2163.1: 73–80. Ramani, T. L., J. Zietsman, H. Gudmundsson, R. P. Hall, and G. Marsden (2011). Framework for Sustainability Assessment by Transportation Agencies. Transportation Research Record, 2242.1: 9–18. Jeon, Christy Mihyeon, Adjo A. Amekudzi, and Randall L. Guensler (2013). Sustainability Assessment at the Transportation Planning Level: Performance Measures and Indexes. Transport Policy, 25(C): 10–21. Link. Ramani, T. L., and J. Zietsman (2016). Sustainable Transportation—Alternative Perspectives and Enduring Challenges. International Journal of Urban Sciences, 20(3): 318–333. Performance Measurement in Transportation American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. AASHTO Transportation Performance Management Portal. Link. Federal Highway Administration (2021). Transportation Performance Measurement. Link. Federal Highway Administration. TPM Toolbox. Link. U.S. Department of Transportation (2020). Performance Measurement Fundamentals. Link. National Cooperative Highway Research Program (2006). NCHRP Report 551: Performance Measures and Targets for Transportation. Link. American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. Communicating Performance. Link. Federal Highway Administration. Telling the Performance Story. Link. Examples of agencies with sustainable performance measures: Boston MPO Performance Dashboard Link, Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission Tracking Progress Indicators Dashboard Link, Metropolitan Transportation Commission Vital Signs Link. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2011). Guide to Sustainable Performance Measures. Link.
Lecture 6: Sustainable Transportation Rating Systems—Part 1	Recycled Materials Resource Center. BE2ST-in-Highways. Link. Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure. ENVISION. Link. American Society of Civil Engineers. ENVISION. New York State. GreenLITES. Link. Greenroads Foundation. Greenroads. Link.
Lecture 7: Sustainable Transportation Rating Systems—Part 2	Federal Highway Administration. INVEST. Link. Illinois Department of Transportation (2012). I-LAST: Illinois—Livable and Sustainable Transportation Rating System and Guide. Link. Clevenger, Caroline M., Mehmet E. Ozbek, and Sherona Simpson (2013). Review of Sustainability Rating Systems Used for Infrastructure Projects. 49th ASC Annual International Conference Proceedings, Associated Schools for Construction. Federal Highway Administration (2019). State of the Practice on Sustainability Rating Systems. Link. Federal Highway Administration (2020). Sustainability Rating Systems as Applied to Pavements. Link. Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit. Sustainable Infrastructure Tool Navigator. Link.
Lecture 8: Sustainability in Transportation Planning and Project Development	U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Guide to Sustainable Transportation Performance Measures. Link. Federal Highway Administration. Sustainable Highways Initiative. Link. Federal Highway Administration (2017). Public Involvement/Public Participation. Link. Federal Highway Administration (2020). Incorporating Equity in the Transportation Planning Process. Guidebook for State, Regional, and Local Governments on Addressing Potential Equity Impacts of Road Pricing. Link. U.S. Department of Transportation. Environmental Review Toolkit: Legislation, Regulations, and Guidance. Link. Federal Highway Administration. Environmental Review Toolkit: Every Day Counts. Link.
Lecture 9: Sustainability in Highway Construction Practices and Transportation Operations and Maintenance	Federal Highway Administration (2010). FHWA Green Procurement Guide. Link. Federal Highway Administration (2017). Improving Transportation Investment Decisions through Life-Cycle Cost Analysis. Link. Harvey, John T., Ali A. Butt, Mark T. Lozano, Alissa Kendall, Arash Saboori, Jeremy D. Lea, Changmo Kim, and Imad Basheer (2019). Life Cycle Assessment for Transportation Infrastructure Policy Evaluation and Procurement for State and Local Governments. Sustainability, 11(22): 6377. Link. Harvey, J. T., J. Meijer, H. Ozer, I. Al-Qadi, A. Saboori, and A. Kendall (2016). Pavement Life-Cycle Assessment Framework. FHWA-HIF-16-014. Federal Highway Administration. Link.
Lecture 10: Achieving Sustainability through Business Practices	Federal Highway Administration (2020). Contracting Strategies. Link. Federal Highway Administration (2012). Performance Contracting for Construction: A Guide to Using Performance Goals and Measures to Improve Project Delivery.Link. Scott, Sidney, III, Keith R. Molenaar, Douglas D. Gransberg, and Nancy C. Smith (2006). NCHRP Report 561: Best-Value Procurement Methods for Highway Construction Projects. National Cooperative Highway Research Program. Link. Cote, Catherine (2021). Making the Business Case for Sustainability. Harvard Business School Online. Link.
Lecture 11: Overview of INVEST	Federal Highway Administration. INVEST Link. Federal Highway Administration. INVEST Fact Sheet. Link.
Lecture 12: Using INVEST for Scoring and Evaluation	Federal Highway Administration. INVEST Case Studies. Link.