Deborah Salon studies transportation in cities with the goal of contributing to our collective understanding of how these systems work, and how policies and smart investments might improve them. The methods she uses range from qualitative, interview-based research to advanced econometric analysis. Salon has substantial experience with both discrete and continuous quantitative data analysis, survey design, GIS, and management of large datasets.

Topically, Salon’s research is divided into four related tracks:

(1) Travel behavior, the built environment, and lifestyle choices in the United States,

(2) Climate policy for the transport sector,

(3) Urban transport, poverty, and economic development – both in the cities of the developing world and in the US, and

(4) Local government and transit agency institutional analysis.

A common thread in all of her work is to inform policies that aim to reduce global automobile dependence in one way or another. This overarching goal is one that she is committed to, as it becomes increasingly clear that technology-only strategies are unlikely to be enough to make our transportation system environmentally sustainable.

Salon holds a doctorate in agricultural and resource economics from the University of California at Davis. Before joining the faculty at ASU, she completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Columbia University's Earth Institute and subsequently held a research appointment at U.C. Davis's Institute of Transportation Studies.