Moving Goods, Managing Impacts: Planning for Sustainable Freight
12:00-12:30p.m. (PT) | Link to register.
This MTI Research Snaps webinar is based on Routes to Sustainable Goods Movement: How Local and Regional Governmental Agencies Can Plan for the Sustainable Freight System of the Future.
Freight keeps our economy and our everyday lives moving, but growing demand means growing costs. Urban areas are increasingly contending with congestion, infrastructure strain, emissions, pollution, and safety concerns, often concentrated in already burdened communities. How are metropolitan regions responding? In this webinar, hear from Dr. Serena Alexander about her research examining goods movement plans from eight major U.S. regions. She will discuss how agencies are balancing economic competitiveness with sustainability, resilience, and equity. Join in to learn what strategies are gaining ground, where freight planning continues to fall short, and how challenges around data, funding, and coordination are shaping the path forward.
Featured Guest: Serena Alexander, PhD, MTI Research Associate; Associate Professor, Northeastern University
Moderator: Hilary Nixon, PhD, Deputy Executive Director, Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI)
*0.5 PDH credit available
About the Featured Guest
Serena E. Alexander, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Environmental Policy and Engineering and Interim Director of the Master of Science in Urban Planning and Policy at Northeastern University. Her research focuses on transportation decarbonization, climate resilience, freight and rail systems, and equity, with an emphasis on applied, policy-relevant research that informs planning and decision-making.
She previously served as a Visiting Scholar of Climate Policy and Infrastructure Resilience at the U.S. Department of Transportation and is a Research Associate with the Mineta Transportation Institute. Prior to joining Northeastern, Dr. Alexander was on the faculty in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at San José State University. She has led several federally and statefunded research projects supported by USDOT, the Federal Railroad Administration, Caltrans, and the California State University Transportation Consortium.
Her work has been published in academic journals such as Cities, Transportation Research Record, and Sustainability, and she regularly engages with transportation agencies and practitioners through technical reports, workshops, and invited talks. Dr. Alexander holds a Ph.D. in Urban Studies and Public Affairs from Cleveland State University, a Master of Urban and Regional Planning from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, and degrees in Architectural Engineering from Azad University of Tehran.
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