California Demographic Trends: Implications for Transportation Planning

Major investments in highway or transit infrastructure often require a decade or more to move from planning to completion. Therefore, a solid understanding of California's future transportation infrastructure needs implies a critical evaluation of the projections of the state's total population, what this population will look like, where they will live and work, their lifestyle choices, and most importantly, the combined impact of these factors on travel demand. Additionally, any serious evaluation of the future must consider the impact of technology, how it may change travel patterns and how it may be used as a tool for improving the effectiveness of transportation infrastructure. The following is the first in a series of working papers that will explore precisely this set of issues.