prof. John Pucher

About John Pucher

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 25 articles and book chapters on walking and cycling and given over 60 featured talks, keynote addresses, and conference talks on this subject. From 2008 to 2010, he is directing a major research project for the U.S. Department of Transportation examining bicycling trends and policies in large American cities.

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.

Research Interests:

• 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)