WORKSHOP ON TRAVEL BEHAVIOR CHARACTERISTICS AND ANALYSIS. SOCIAL SCIENCES AS CONCEPTUAL RESOURCE FOR TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH

Social sciences have the potential for making contributions to transportation research. Five fallacies impede thinking about transportation research and planning: (1) Transportation (mobility) and land use (settlement) are distinct events; (2) The social benefit of a transportation system is the rate at which it moves people or goods through the system; (3) Transportation is an industry; (4) Transportation is corporately proprietary; (5) Transportation is politically and culturally neutral. These fallacies become apparent when transportation is conceived as an institutionalized social activity functioning in a milieu of social organizations. Social sciences do not constitute a single discipline. The author draws a parallel between the style of thinking of social and natural scientists. He then describes the interfaces between sociology and demography, human ecology, economics, political science, anthropology, psychology and humanistic studies. It is concluded that transportation research may be conducted with the concepts proposed at the interfaces previously listed. Transportation planning is a problem of the practical intersect of the sciences of man. Studies at any intersect contribute to the understanding needed for planning. Transportation research may expand from travel behavior to matters of economic and political national policy. Social science will contribute only the cognitive elements to the knowledge. Planners must look elsewhere for moral guidelines and commitment to action.

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    • Proceedings of a conference held October 3-7, 1982, Easton, Maryland. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
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    Transportation Research Board

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  • Authors:
    • Klausner, Samuel Z
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  • Publication Date: 1983

Media Info

  • Media Type: Digital/other
  • Pagination: pp 74-82
  • Monograph Title: TRAVEL ANALYSIS METHODS FOR THE 1980S
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Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 00390207
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
  • Created Date: Oct 30 1984 12:00AM