Courses

Recent examples of ITS-affiliated courses include:

Transportation Geography
Study of the geographical aspects of transportation designed for juniors and seniors., with focus on the characteristics and functions of various modes and on complexities of intra-urban transport.

Special Topics Courses

Special Topics in Transportation Policy and Planning
Topics in transportation policy and planning selected by faculty members. Recent topics include Travel and the Aging Population and Electric Drive Vehicles: Technologies and Policies.

Urban Form
Historical evolution of urban form and transportation systems, intrametropolitan location theory, recent trends in urban form, spatial mismatch hypothesis, jobs/housing balance, transportation in strong central city and polycentric city, neotraditional town planning debate, rail transit and urban form.

Parking
Study of the theory and practice of planning for parking and examination of how planning for parking in U.S. has become planning for free parking. Exploration of new ways to improve planning for parking, transportation, and land use.

Urban Design Studio
Students of different backgrounds and interests collaboratively and individually analyze and propose solutions for actual transportation planning and urban design problem. Course simulates real-world professional planning project of type that students might be assigned if working for consulting firms or public agencies.

Advanced Geographic Information Systems
Knowledge and skill development necessary to plan, design, develop, and publish Web-based geographic information systems (GIS) solution. Coverage of basics of Internet programming languages, and exploration of different web-authoring tools.

Travel Behavior Analysis
Descriptions of travel patterns in metropolitan areas, recent trends and projections into future, overview of travel forecasting methods, trip generation, trip distribution, mode split traffic assignment, critique of traditional travel forecasting methods and new approaches to travel behavior analysis.

Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning
Exploration of the field’s relationship to land use and transportation planning, public health, and environment. Detailed knowledge provided of various bicycle and pedestrian facilities and their appropriate contexts. Examination of bicycle and pedestrian planning in context of overall street design. Essential components of bicycle and pedestrian planning, including policies, programs, funding, and advocacy.

Shared Mobility Policy and Planning
Introduction to planning, analysis, and management of shared mobility systems, with particular focus on public transit. Overview of shared mobility policy and planning context; introduction to transportation planning and project evaluation processes; high-speed rail and airports and aviation; public transit policy and planning, including performance evaluation and route planning; taxis and ADA paratransit, ride-hailing, car-, bike-, and scooter-share; implications of vehicle automation for shared mobility in the years ahead.

Transportation Economics, Finance, and Policy
Overview of transportation finance and economics, concepts of efficiency and equity in transportation finance, historical evolution of highway and transit finance, current issues in highway finance, private participation in road finance, toll roads, road costs and cost allocation, truck charges, congestion pricing, current issues in transit finance, transit fare and subsidy policies, and contracting and privatization of transit services.

Transportation and Economic Outcomes
Examination of equity issues related to urban transportation, with focus on complex relationships among urban spatial structure, transportation (travel patterns and transportation investments), economic outcomes, and the role of transportation in improving economic outcomes for low-income and minority households and communities.

Transportation and Environmental Issues
Study of the regulatory structure linking transportation, air quality, and energy issues, chemistry of air pollution, and an overview of transportation-related approaches to air quality enhancement, new car tailpipe standards, vehicle inspection and maintenance issues, transportation demand management and transportation control measures, alternative fuels and electric vehicles, corporate average fuel economy and global warming issues, growth of automobile worldwide fleet, and the automobile sustainability debate.

The Institute of Transportation Studies at UC Berkeley facilitates extension courses through the ITS Tech Transfer, a training, technical assistance, and information service that covers a broad range of transportation technologies including advanced pavement practices, operational and productivity models, traffic signals, intelligent transportation systems, new planning methodologies and practices such as “context sensitive solutions,” and safety. In addition, Tech Transfer’s training program emphasizes the importance of building a strong foundation of basic transportation understanding and practical skill in engineering, planning, project management, and policy. Classes are held at various locations throughout the state of California.