Recent years have seen considerable changes in the technology of transportation with the development of high-speed rail networks, more fuelefficient automobiles and aircraft, and the widespread adoption of informatics in disciplines such as traffic management and supply chain logistics. The contributions to this volume assess transportation interactions with employment and income, examine some of the policies that have been deployed to maximize the economic and social impacts of transportation provision at the local and regional levels and analyze how advances in transportation technologies have, and will, impact future development. Due in part to the general liberalization of markets, there have been major changes in the institutional environment in which transportation is supplied; these changes inevitably affect wider economic systems and development, although in turn these changes feed back upon transportation networks. The contributors to this work develop these and other themes, from a variety of perspectives, implementing a wide range of academic approaches into their analyses. Stemming from initiatives of the Network on European Communications and Transport Activities Research (NECTAR), Transportation and Economic Development Challenges presents a body of research that exemplifies the organization's objective of fostering research collaboration around the world.

This volume explores the field of transport sector development. Derived from the 2015 TranSopot conference held in Sopot, Poland, it discusses current trends, issues, and research on the topic. Specifically, it aims to explore sustainable development, examines current problems ranging from transport systems to transport enterprises and provides a variety of analytical methods such as economic and econometric analysis. The three most important fields of current transport research are sustainable transport development, innovation and technological progress and the conditions of transport enterprise growth and survival. Transport is an activity which is supposed to be sustainable, environmentally aware, economically optimal, socially sound and politically responsible. Striving for innovation in transport means looking for organizational and technical solutions which increase the efficiency, effectiveness and safety of transportation. However, the main research issue in the field are strategies for sustainable transport developments in urban and rural areas, instruments of internalization of external transport costs, promotion of environmentally-friendly transport behavior and improvement of transport energy efficiency. Transport infrastructure innovation, intelligent transport systems, innovations in management and finance are some of the main concerns of researchers and policy-makers in the field. Transport enterprises need to adapt to the conditions of the new economic growth perspectives. They need to create unique growth conditions, otherwise they will condemn themselves to struggle for survival. In particular, transport enterprises have to create special functioning systems and programs to diversify economic activity to use funds in the most efficient ways possible.

Long-term economic growth and increasing vehicle congestion is creating a greater demand for efficient and safe transportation. The high cost of maintaining and fixing pre-existing infrastructure is leading the industry to realize that sustainable long-term transportation planning is needed to keep pace with the growing economy. Building a Sustainable Transportation Infrastructure for Long-Term Economic Growth examines contemporary transportation issues through the lens of various modes of transportation while also focusing on the importance of sustainability, urban planning, and funding. The book covers the topics of sustainability and climate change, public management and planning, financing of transportation infrastructure, and revenue and spending issues facing modern transportation infrastructure. It is ideally designed for engineers, planners, government officials, transportation specialists, legislators, researchers, academicians, students, and industry professionals seeking current research on sustainable transport systems.

This proceedings volume examines individual city transports, transport companies and entire transport systems. Featuring select contributions presented at the 2018 TranSopot Conference in Sopot, Poland, this book provides an analysis of transportation solutions both at the micro-level (single city or single company) as well as the macro-level (whole transportation systems). The enclosed research and case studies provide a theoretical background for transport analysis but also new innovative and sustainable solutions to transportation while also increasing the efficiency of transport operations. Transportation is a very specific area of social and economic life. It creates countless opportunities and fulfills the need for mobility while also generating significant cost—direct for the company or indirect to societies. Planning and organizing transport is a task which requires a multi-level approach with a focus on operational, ecological and financial aspects. At a time in which many transport systems are unable to grow extensively due to lack of space or increased cost, these activities are even more crucial. The enclosed research from researchers, scholars and practitioners provides not only new theories but also empirical data and practical experience. The TranSopot 2018 conference is a continuation of a long series of conferences devoted to the topic of transport sector development. The goal of the conference is to exchange current trends and spread the results of current research into the fields of transport growth, development and management.