Tara Goddard

I am an Associate Professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning at Texas A&M University. After earning a master’s degree in civil engineering from UC Davis, I worked as an Associate Transportation Planner for the City of Sacramento and then served as the Bicycle/Pedestrian Program Coordinator for the City of Davis, CA. I earned my PhD in Urban Studies at Portland State University.

My research focuses on safe roadway design and reducing traffic deaths and injuries, particularly for pedestrians, bicyclists, and other vulnerable road users. I have led research on advanced driver assistance systems and how practitioners and decision-makers are wrestling with the rapid influx of technology in transportation. A central focus of my work is roadway safety culture, including published studies examining racial and gender bias, the role of language and semantics, and public health norms around transportation safety. I have recent and on-going research examining transportation safety and justice in the context of wildfire evacuation, urban heat, and other issues of planning in the Petropyrocene.

Fastest way to find me: @DrTaraGoddard on Bluesky.