In 1998, the Institute for Transport Planning and Logistics (then: Research Unit Transportation Systems and Logistics) was established at the Hamburg University of Technology to create a competence centre for interdisciplinary transportation research in the north of Germany.

What are the novel aspects of our research agenda?

• Today's transport strategies have mostly been acting on the supply-side by trying to encourage mode changes through improving levels of service. The often disappointing results of these approaches show that we need better knowledge and more effective tools -also for the implementation of strategies - to influence the demand-side of traffic, as well.
• Integrated solutions for private mobility and commercial traffic (goods as well as people) are required. Therefore, we put more emphasis on the latter than has been the case in transportation research in the past.
• The only way the parallel economic and environmental demands placed on our transport systems can both be fulfilled, is through a combination of different measures (e.g. land use decisions, logistic strategies, utilisation of information technology etc.)
• Transport research would be incomplete without the inclusion of social and political aspects. Integrated planning is therefore a key element to a better implementation of innovative concepts.