About Us

In fall 2013, a Western Michigan University-led consortium of five universities received a $1.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation (US DOT) to establish the Transportation Research Center for Livable Communities (TRCLC). The TRCLC was selected along with 32 other University Transportation Centers (UTCs) across the United States from a pool of 142 total applicants. The grant was funded through US DOT's Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) for four years with the possibility of renewal.

The WMU grant is part of $72.5 million in awards for each of fiscal years 2013 and 2014 to advance transportation research and education programs and develop the next generation of transportation professionals.

The TRCLC aims to address the nation's critical transportation challenges through the prism of livable communities. The Center’s primary goal is to improve affordable and environmentally sustainable transportation options for conventionally underserved communities with special attention paid to non-motorized travel, pedestrian and bicycle safety, job accessibility and 'smart' transport technologies.