Project Details

Abstract

The U.S. economy has evolved into specialized sectors where a variety of workers are needed. These sectors are as varied as logistics, information technology, health, recreation, education, and travel. Often specialized employment hubs are located outside urban centers due to cheaper land or other accessibility benefits for the movement of goods and services. Large employment hubs, located away from urban centers, are unique in their challenges for transportation for workers. Broadly, researchers have shown that the heterogeneous nature of employment agglomeration has varying impacts on commute distance, congestion, and travel mode choice. Most workers may decide to drive to and from work since transit is generally limited especially during off-peak travel times and active transportation is infeasible to/from such destinations due to greater travel distance. This pushes workers to rely on single-occupancy vehicle trips, with accompanying impacts on higher congestion in and around large employment centers.

Denver International Airport is a case study of such a large employment hub, located outside the urban center, serving 82.3 million passengers in 2024. The Airport employs about 40,000 people who experience traffic congestion, higher out-of-pocket costs, and other issues while traveling to and from work. In this research, we will build on previous work conducted with the Airport during the Fall 2023 semester, where Dr. Shirgaokar’s graduate transportation class had the Airport as a client and studied transportation investments to aid workers’ travel. Separately, the Airport conducted a large survey of employees (n=2700) and collected data through other techniques by engaging with both workers and on-site employers (e.g., concessioners). Denver International Airport will act as subject-matter experts and provide access to data assets and feedback for this research.

The main objective of this research is to identify consumer segments in the employee pool at the Airport through statistical analysis. We ask: Based on stated travel preferences, what types of infrastructure investments can make travel for workers more efficient? The research team, in close collaboration with the Airport staff, will also engage directly with workers at the Airport using semi-structured interviews and/or focus groups to gather deeper insights regarding what workers value in terms of easing transportation to/from the Airport. Especially in cases such as airports, transportation investments are made with passengers in mind. The Denver International Airport’s focus on workers’ travel needs is timely and offers a unique opportunity to study policy changes in real time. The research team will help with evaluation of several strategies that the Airport will roll out during 2025-26. Working closely with the Airport Planning & Design team, this research is uniquely positioned to have a significant technology transfer component in terms of evaluation of infrastructure investment strategies and consumer segment identification.

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