Overview of our Research Activities

We work with passion and commitment on our research projects. Our activities are characterised by broadly diversified fields of activity. Find out more about us on the following pages and don´t hesitate to ask us directly. We look forward to get to know you!

Cooperation between Deutsche Bahn AG and TU Darmstadt

For some years now, the IVV's research focus has been primarily on transport planning and management, for which methodological foundations for systematic planning are developed and specific measures are investigated and further improved. This includes the use of new technologies in traffic telematics, both for private and public transport. Methods of integrated network planning and transport development planning are equally in the foreground as the design of multimodal transport systems with references to urban and regional research. Supply design, influencing demand and incident management are important components of our research profile. In particular, the analysis of various examples of urban mobility transformations as a result of extreme events is gradually coming to the fore, which are capable of drastically changing cities and our everyday lives due to their complexity, size and scope. Major influencing factors are, for example, sporting events (Olympic Games, World Cup), cultural events (Hadsch, World Fairs/Expos), natural disasters (hurricanes, floods) and diseases (epidemics and pandemics). Some of these events result from planning decisions; others occur randomly and sometimes without warning.

The scAInce lab forms another pillar of our research profile, investigating disruptive mobility and its impact on our sustainability. We are particularly concerned with the functional, digital and institutional networking of transport systems, road traffic technology, new transport systems, mobility services and information systems. A discussion of the associated sensor technology and systems for traffic situation detection complete our considerations in this regard. In addition, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) poses considerable challenges for planners and engineers. The use of AI will have a significant influence on how we live, work and spend our leisure time in the future. Regions and municipalities around the world are preparing for the licensing, regulation and control of self-driving, autonomous vehicles. However, the negative effects of the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0) on societal well-being must also be considered. Answers to the question of the extent to which mobility and accessibility in our society will be influenced by artificial intelligence in the future, including self-driving vehicles, smart homes and AI applications in the workplace and in education, must be soundly developed. In summary, the investigation and further development of new technologies, including the advancing digitalisation, forms an essential part of our research profile.

Investigating the effects of transport on the environment and health is another important pillar of our research profile. Climate protection, noise protection and air pollution control, environmentally sensitive transport taxes and the effects of transport on human health are just a few examples of our diversified research activities in this area. Last but not least, our ELISA project – i.e. research into the extent to which electrification of road freight transport by means of overhead lines can make a significant contribution to achieving the ambitious climate protection goals – sets standards for current developments in the transport sector.

A particular interest of the IVV is to promote interdisciplinarity in transport and to creatively develop solutions to the complex problems of transport. An essential expression of this is the interdisciplinary Master of Science in Traffic and Transport, for which the IVV is responsible. Our research flows into our teaching activities. Using innovative learning and teaching methods, we set new active impulses in research and teaching in transport planning and management.

Completed Projects

Publications of the IVV