International Association for Travel Behaviour Research

International Association for Travel Behaviour Research
Name	International Association for Travel Behaviour Research
Abbreviation	IATBR
Formation	1978
Type	Nonprofit
Headquarters	The Hague
Region served	International

International Association for Travel Behaviour Research is an international scholarly association that promotes empirical and theoretical studies of human mobility, transport systems, and travel demand. The association fosters collaboration among researchers, practitioners, and policymakers from institutions such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Oxford, Delft University of Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, and ETH Zurich, and connects with forums like the United Nations, European Commission, World Bank, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development to inform applied projects. It engages with major conferences and publishers including Transport Research Board, Royal Geographical Society, Elsevier, Taylor & Francis, and Springer Nature to disseminate work.

History

The association traces origins to gatherings of researchers from University of California, Berkeley, Imperial College London, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, Monash University, and University of Sydney in the 1970s and 1980s, influenced by milestones like the Oil crisis of 1973, the rise of models from RAND Corporation, and policy debates at the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements. Early founders included academics affiliated with Cornell University, University of Michigan, University of Toronto, University of Cambridge, and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign who exchanged methods developed at Brookings Institution and National Bureau of Economic Research. The association expanded during the 1990s with links to projects at European Investment Bank, World Health Organization, and Asian Development Bank, adapting to methodological shifts from aggregated models to disaggregate approaches influenced by work at Carnegie Mellon University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In the 2000s and 2010s, collaborations with National Science Foundation, Horizon 2020, German Aerospace Center, and institutes such as KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Technical University of Munich broadened thematic scope.

Organization and Governance

Governance has typically involved an elected board drawn from scholars at University College London, University of California, Los Angeles, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, University of British Columbia, and University of Amsterdam with advisory ties to agencies like European Environment Agency, United Nations Environment Programme, and International Energy Agency. Secretariats have been hosted by centers at Delft University of Technology, University of Leeds, and Stockholm Environment Institute, while legal registration and finances have interfaced with foundations such as Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, and Wellcome Trust. Committees oversee ethics, conferences, and publications with input from editorial boards at Transportation Research Part A, Journal of Transport Geography, Transportation Science, Transport Policy, and Transport Reviews.

Conferences and Events

Biennial conferences have convened in cities including The Hague, Berlin, Toronto, Beijing, Melbourne, Paris, Seoul, Barcelona, and Chicago, attracting delegates affiliated with California Institute of Technology, National University of Singapore, Peking University, University of São Paulo, and University of Cape Town. Programs feature sessions co-organized with bodies such as International Transport Forum, World Conference on Transport Research, European Transport Conference, Association of American Geographers, and International Council for Science. Special symposia have been held alongside initiatives like Sustainable Development Goals, COP climate conferences, C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, and regional meetings hosted by Asian Development Bank and Inter-American Development Bank.

Research Themes and Publications

Research spans travel demand modeling, activity-based approaches, discrete choice theory development with roots at University of California, Berkeley and University of Groningen, transport equity studies linked to Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch discourse, and mobility analytics leveraging data sources from Google, Apple, TomTom, HERE Technologies, and national statistical offices such as Office for National Statistics and Statistics Canada. Publications appear in outlets published by Elsevier, Routledge, Springer Nature, Wiley-Blackwell, and Cambridge University Press, with edited volumes and special issues featuring contributors from World Bank, International Monetary Fund, European Central Bank, and research centers like MIT Media Lab and Oxford Martin School. Interdisciplinary themes intersect with urbanism debated at UN-Habitat, public health research from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and climate science from Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Membership and Chapters

Membership comprises academics, consultants, and officials from institutions such as Siemens, Arup, AECOM, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, and municipal agencies in London, New York City, Tokyo, Amsterdam, and Zurich. Regional chapters and networks operate with partners like Transportation Research Board, European Cyclists' Federation, Association Internationale des Sociétés de Transport Public, and university affiliates at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, and University of Cape Town to support local workshops, training, and student competitions sponsored by organizations including IEEE and Institute of Transportation Engineers.

Awards and Recognitions

The association honors contributions through prizes and recognitions named or sponsored with partners such as Royal Society, National Academy of Sciences, American Association for the Advancement of Science, European Research Council, and corporate partners like IBM and Siemens Mobility. Awards recognize lifetime achievement, early-career research, best paper presentations at conferences, and practitioner impact with juries drawn from leading scholars at Princeton University, Yale University, Columbia University, Stanford University, and Harvard University.

Category:Transportation organizations