Transportation and Sustainability

Committee of the TRB (ADD 40)

SETT 2020

2020 Conference on Sustainability and Emerging Transportation Technology (SETT): Shaping the Future of Mobility

WHERE: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s
Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center
100 Academy Drive, Irvine, CA 92617

WHEN: August 31 – September 2, 2020

Conference Overview and Scope  

Utopia or dystopia? Transportation technologies (e.g., connected and automated vehicles) and new approaches to mobility (e.g., shared services) are advancing so fast that it can be difficult for policy makers to frame incentives, regulations, and market signals to promote all three pillars of sustainability: equity, the environment, and the economy. The Sustainability and Emerging Transportation Technology (SETT) Conference on August 31 – September 2, 2020, at the NASEM Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center in Irvine, California, will address questions around how academics, policy-makers, the private sector, NGOs and others can work together to shape new mobility solutions to benefit all users of our transportation systems. 

The SETT 2020 conference brings together researchers, practitioners, and policy makers to discuss and debate the intersection of sustainability and emerging transportation technologies. Because these terms are often used quite broadly, we define them here.

  • The concept of sustainability takes a holistic view of the “triple-bottom-line”, i.e. environmental, economic, and social factors. Technology shouldn’t create more problems than it solves in terms of social equity (i.e., accessible, inclusive, safe, secure), economic efficiency (i.e., cost-efficient and within people’s ability and willingness to pay) or environmental responsibility (i.e., reduces carbon pollution and improves water and air quality).
  • Emerging transportation technologies include those in the early stages of adoption, being deployed as “pilots,” or expected to come to market in the near-term. Examples include new mobility services (e.g., ridehailing, e-scooters), digital technologies (e.g., dynamic pricing, shared data exchanges, and payment platforms), connected and automated vehicles (e.g., SAE levels 1-3), transportation electrification, and autonomous goods delivery services (e.g., rolling robots, drones).

This call invites you to submit presentation proposals to be programmed into technical session or poster session by February 15, 2020.

Call for Abstracts

We are seeking abstracts from researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and students about emerging issues at the intersection of sustainability and transportation technologies. Suggested themes include, but are not limited to:

  • Moving beyond car-centric cities
  • Shared mobility
  • Micromobility
  • The evolution of public transportation and integration with shared mobility
  • Application of automation in transportation systems
  • Sustainable mobility solutions for rural areas and small towns
  • Decarbonization and VMT reduction 
  • Data-driven social, economic, environmental impact analyses
  • Balancing equity and efficiency when deploying emerging transportation technologies
  • Promoting holistic sustainability outcomes in the areas of equity, economic development, and the environmental stewardship
  • Life cycle environmental impacts of new technologies
  • Impacts on rural area planning and policymaking
  • Policy implications of new technologies 
  • Advances in measurement and modeling 
  • Case studies and examples from practice, including decision-making approaches and impacts of regulation

We will be accepting abstracts of up to 500 words in the following categories:

  • Scientific/research abstracts
  • Practitioner/policy/case study abstracts
  • Student-led abstracts (sub-category of above – lead author must be a full- or part-time university student at the time of submission)

Each abstract will undergo a formal peer-review process, and submitters will be notified of whether their presentation is accepted to the conference program by March 31, 2020. Accepted presentations will be included in the conference program either as podium or poster presentations. Highly rated abstracts will be invited to submit full length papers for a special issue of the Transportation Research Record (TRR) journal.

Submission Format

Proposals must be written in English and include name, affiliation, and contact information (email) for the corresponding presenter. Information about all co-authors must also be provided. To be considered for presentation, abstracts should be limited to 500 words and must:

  • Identify which of the topic areas the presentation will address; and
  • Demonstrate that the work to be presented is sufficiently advanced beyond untested new ideas or early work in progress. Consolidated results of recent projects or studies are preferred.

 What are the Benefits of Being a Presenter?

The SETT 2020 presenters receive valuable professional exposure at this gathering of international experts participating in the TRB and practitioner networks. We will promote your name and organization on the conference website and conference program. Presenters also receive a reduced registration rate.

To Submit an Abstract: 

Use the following link to submit an abstract: Submit an Abstract

How are Proposals Selected?

Experts on a technical selection committee who favor end-user perspectives, innovative ideas, applied science and case studies, and timeliness of subject and relevancy to the conference themes identified above will review all abstracts.

Important Dates

  • Open Call for Abstracts:  December 6, 2019
  • Close Call for Abstracts:  February 28, 2020
  • Notify Abstract Submitters:  March 31, 2020
  • Advanced Technical Program Available:  May 1, 2020