John Pucher is a professor in the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University (New Brunswick, New Jersey). Since earning a Ph.D. at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1978, Pucher has conducted research on a wide range of topics in transport economics and finance, including numerous projects for the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Canadian government, and various European ministries of transport. For almost three decades, he has examined differences in travel behavior, transport systems, and transport policies in Europe, Canada, and the USA.
Over the past twelve years, Pucher's research has focused on walking and bicycling. His international comparative analysis has included Australia, Canada, the USA, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark and several other European countries. The main objective is to determine what American, Canadian, and Australian cities could learn from each other and from European cities to improve the safety, convenience, and feasibility of these non-motorized modes. He has published 18 articles on walking and cycling and given over 50 featured talks, keynote addresses, and conference talks on this subject.
Pucher has been increasingly interested in the public health implications of urban transport. In particular, he has emphasized the need for Americans to increase their walking and cycling for daily transportation as the best way to ensure adequate levels of physical exercise and enhance overall public health. From 2005 to 2006, Pucher spent his sabbatical as a visiting professor at the University of Sydney's Institute of Transport Studies directing a research project that examined differences between Canada, Australia, and the USA in their travel behavior, transport systems and policies, and the impacts of transport on public health. Now that he is back at Rutgers, Pucher is working with Australian, Canadian, and European colleagues to pursue this increasingly important research on public health impacts of transport.
Comparative analysis of urban transport systems and travel behavior in Europe, Canada, Australia, and the USA
Urban transport trends and policies in China, India, and Korea
How to promote safe walking and cycling on the basis of successful policies in the Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany
Public health impacts of land use and transportation policies, with special emphasis on active transport issues
Transportation impacts of economic transformations in formerly socialist countries of Central Europe (esp. Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary)
Multi-modal coordination of public transport services and fares throughout metropolitan areas and integration of non-motorized modes (bicycling and walking)
Publications
"Cycling for Everyone: Lessons from Europe," paper presented at the 87th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC, January 16, 2008, and accepted for publication in the Transportation Research Record, 2008, forthcoming (with Ralph Buehler).
"Walking, Cycling, and Obesity Rates in Europe, North America, and Australia," Journal of Physical Activity and Health, 2008, forthcoming (with David Bassett, Ralph Buehler, Dixie Thompson, and Scott Crouter).
"Making Cycling Irresistible: Lessons from the Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany," Transport Reviews, Vol. 28, No. 4, July 2008, pp.495-528 (with Ralph Buehler).
Click here for PDF.
“Cycling in Canada and the United States: Why Canadians are so far ahead,” Plan Canada, March 2007, pp. 13-17 (with Ralph Buehler).
"Making Sustainable Transport Politically and Publicly Acceptable," in Rietveld, P. and Stough, R., eds., Institutions and Sustainable Transport: Regulatory Reform in Advanced Economies. Cheltenham, England: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2007, pp. 17-50 (with David Banister and Martin Lee-Gosselin). Click here for PDF
"Urban Transport Trends and Policies in China and India: Impacts of Rapid Economic Growth," Transport Reviews, Vol. 27, July 2007, pp. 379-410 (with Z. Peng, N. Mittal, Y. Zhu, and N. Korattyswaroopam).
Click here for PDF.
"Why Canadians Cycle More than Americans: A Comparative Analysis of Bicycling Trends and Policies," Transport Policy, May 2006, Vol. 13, pp. 265-279 (with Ralph Buehler). Click here for PDF.
“Urban Transport Crisis in India,” Transport Policy, June 2005, Vol. 12, No. 3, pp. 185-198 (with
N.
Korattyswaroopam, N. Mittal, and N. Ittyerah).
Click here for PDF.
"Public Transport in Seoul: Meeting Burgeoning Travel Demands of a Megacity,” Public
Transport International, May/June 2005,
Vol. 54, No. 3, pp. 54-61 (with H. Park, M.H. Kim, and J. Song).
Click
here for PDF.
"Transport Policies in Central and Eastern Europe," in
Button and Hensher, eds., Transport Strategy, Policy, and Institutions, Oxford,
England, Elsevier Press, 2005.
Click
here for PDF.
"Cycling Trends and Policies in Canadian Cities,” World
Transport Policy and Practice, March 2005,
Vol. 11, No. 1, pp. 43-61 (with Ralph Buehler).
Click
here for PDF.
"Promoting
Safe Walking and Cycling to Improve Public Health: Lessons from the Netherlands and Germany," American
Journal of Public Health, Vol. 93, No. 9, September
2003. (with Lewis Dijkstra). Click here for PDF.
"Making Walking and Cycling Safer: Lessons from Europe," Transportation Quarterly, Vol. 54, No. 3, Summer 2000, pp. 25-50 (with Lewis Dijkstra).
Click here for PDF.
"Cycling Safety on Bikeways vs. Roads," Transportation Quarterly, Vol. 55, No. 4. Fall 2001, pp. 9-11.
Click here for PDF.
"Bicycling Boom in Germany: A Revival Engineered by Public Policy," Transportation Quarterly, Vol. 51, No. 4, Fall 1997, pp. 31-46.
Click here for PDF.
"Socioeconomics of Urban Travel: Evidence from the 2001 National Household Travel Survey," Transportation Quarterly,
Vol. 57, No. 3, summer 2003, pp. 49-78. (with John Renne). Click
here for PDF.
"Renaissance
of Public Transit in the USA" Transportation Quarterly, Vol. 56, No. 1, winter 2002, pp. 33-50.
Click
here fo PDF.
"The
Transformation of Urban Transport in the Czech Republic: 1988-1998," Transport Policy, Vol. 6,
No. 4, 1999 (October), pp. 225-236.
Click
here for PDF.
"Bicycling
Renaissance in North America? Recent Trends and Alternative Policies
to Promote Bicycling," Transportation Research, Vol. 33-A, Nos. 7/8, September 1999,
pp. 625-654.
Click
here for PDF.
"Cycling for Everyone: Lessons for Vancouver from the Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany," lecture on May 15, 2008 in Vancouver, Canada, jointly sponsored by Simon Fraser University, University of British Columbia, Translink (Greater Vancouver Regional Transport Agency), and the Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition). Click here for video of talk
John Pucher, "Cycling for Everyone: Key to Public and Political Support," keynote address at the 2007 National Bike Summit, League of American Bicyclists, Washington, DC, March 16, 2007. (Please use this citation to acknowledge any information used from this PPT presentation.) Click here for PDF.
John Pucher, "Promoting Safe Walking and Cycling to Improve Public
Health: Lessons from Europe," powerpoint presentation made at the University of Louisville, School of Urban and Public Affairs, Louisville, KY, April 2, 2007, and at the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council and University Transportation Research Center (Region 2), New York, NY, April 17, 2007. Click here for PDF of PPT.
