Bridging Climate Resilience and Travel Demand Forecasting: State-of-Practice Review

Statewide travel demand models (TDMs) are essential tools for long-range transportation planning, policy evaluation, and infrastructure investment. As climate-related disruptions such as floods, wildfires, and extreme heat events become more frequent, there is growing interest in integrating climate resilience into these models. However, little is known about how this integration is currently being pursued in practice. This study investigates the state-of-practice in incorporating climate and hazard considerations into statewide TDMs. It draws on a nationwide survey of transportation agencies, targeted interviews with selected practitioners, a thematic analysis of agency approaches, and an evaluation of 47 publicly available climate and hazard data resources and analytical tools. Together, these methods offer a comprehensive understanding of current implementation efforts, technical and institutional barriers, and emerging opportunities for more resilient travel modeling. The findings indicate that while many agencies are conducting hazard assessments and scenario planning, few have operationalized this work within TDMs. Data compatibility, institutional fragmentation, and lack of standardized workflows remain major challenges. Nonetheless, a small number of agencies demonstrate promising practices via internal collaboration and customized tools. By synthesizing practices from across the US, this study provides a foundational reference for agencies and researchers exploring resilience integration within TDMs. It highlights actionable insights to support future efforts aimed at building adaptive, risk-informed transportation planning tools.