History
A track record of excellence in client service and innovation.
Cambridge Systematics (CS) is an independent, employee-owned firm, recognized throughout the nation as a leader in transportation.
CS was founded in 1972 by four Massachusetts Institute of Technology professors and a colleague who shared an understanding that transportation's greatest challenges call for thoughtful, research-based solutions. To this day, our staff are dedicated to forging strong partnerships and delivering innovative solutions for our clients and their communities.
Honoring the Past › Shaping the Future
Scroll through the timeline below for a glimpse of the key projects, milestones, and events that have happened over the course of five decades at Cambridge Systematics.
2020s
Navigating an Uncertain World
With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, profound shifts in the transportation landscape demand more agility and innovation. More than ever, clients rely on the expertise of CS subject matter experts to navigate an increasingly uncertain world. CS continues to focus on finding solutions for agencies struggling with a myriad of challenges in the “new normal.”
12 Offices
226 Employees
2020
The World Health Organization Declares COVID-19 a Global Pandemic and Many Areas Across the U.S. Enter Lockdown
2020
CS Offices Close in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic
CS offices close and work continues remotely. Soon after, CS deploys Link2Support - an open-source, web-based trip aggregator designed to help people plan safe travel to essential services during the pandemic.
2020
CS Offices Close in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic
CS offices close and work continues remotely. Soon after, CS deploys Link2Support - an open-source, web-based trip aggregator designed to help people plan safe travel to essential services during the pandemic.
2020
CS Begins Development of DOTI’s Strategic Transportation Plan
For the Denver Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI), CS begins work developing a Strategic Transportation Plan (STP) that will set the framework for Denver’s future success to improve innovations, personal mobility, and goods movement. Equity is a key component of the
2020
CS Begins Development of DOTI’s Strategic Transportation Plan
For the Denver Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI), CS begins work developing a Strategic Transportation Plan (STP) that will set the framework for Denver’s future success to improve innovations, personal mobility, and goods movement. Equity is a key component of the project and is integrated with every task. The STP work effort provides DOTI with a suite of tools, including a travel demand model that can be updated and operated by internal staff, a program of projects that can respond to changing variables, and data visualization for internal and external uses.
2021Joseph Biden swears into office
2021
CS Works with GHSA to Align Behavioral Safety with the Safe System Approach
CS develops a report that provides guidance, tools, and a framework aligning behavioral safety with the Safe System approach and supports local Vision Zero programs. As part of the project, CS conducts a literature review of successful Safe System practices in the U.S. and abroad and works with
2021
CS Works with GHSA to Align Behavioral Safety with the Safe System Approach
CS develops a report that provides guidance, tools, and a framework aligning behavioral safety with the Safe System approach and supports local Vision Zero programs. As part of the project, CS conducts a literature review of successful Safe System practices in the U.S. and abroad and works with the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) to meet with an expert panel from State Highway Safety Offices (SHSO), law enforcement, transportation safety organizations, universities, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and the FHWA to obtain their insights on how behavioral countermeasures line up with the Safe System approach.
2021
CS Gets On Board with BART’s Link21 Program
To reflect the emerging 21-county Northern California Megaregion and its projected population and employment growth over time, CS assists the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) and the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority (CCJPA) with the development, application, and
2021
CS Gets On Board with BART’s Link21 Program
To reflect the emerging 21-county Northern California Megaregion and its projected population and employment growth over time, CS assists the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) and the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority (CCJPA) with the development, application, and iterative refinement of demand forecasting and land use forecasting systems. The ridership and land use forecasting will evaluate the entire 21-county Megaregion, and will include a strong commitment to equity through the examination of the effects of proposed alternatives on priority populations, helping to transform Northern California’s passenger rail into a more efficient, affordable, and sustainable network.
2021
Pacific Northwest Expansion
Recognizing the strong alignment of our service offerings with the needs of the clients in the region, CS take steps to expand our book of business in the Pacific Northwest.
2021
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Signed into Law
2021
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Signed into Law
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) is a $1.2 trillion package that allocates the majority of funding towards transportation infrastructure, aiming to bolster the Country’s highways and major roads, bridges, airports, ports, and water systems. One of the biggest provisions of the law allocates substantial funding toward public transit to help increase public transportation in rural areas and upgrade rail and bus systems in urban areas. It is the largest Federal investment infrastructure bill in United States history.
2021
CS Makes Strides Towards DEI Goals by Committing to Equity in Transportation
Building off of the work from the DEI Strategic Plan, CS continues to advance its DEI strategy by committing to and establishing actions that promote equity in the transportation space.
2021
CS Makes Strides Towards DEI Goals by Committing to Equity in Transportation
Building off of the work from the DEI Strategic Plan, CS continues to advance its DEI strategy by committing to and establishing actions that promote equity in the transportation space.
Examples of this include:
joining the TRB Fellows Program, which funds students from minority-serving institutions to attend and present their research at the TRB Annual Meeting and help them engage in TRB’s network of transportation professionals;
signing the Mobility XX pledge, a commitment to advance gender equity in the transportation workforce;
organizing and hosting an Equity in Transit Symposium, a two-day seminar where a range of experts presented about and discussed how transportation firms and agencies can begin to work together to develop some principles for moving equity forward in Transit; and
establishing the Equity in Action grant program, where CS helps select nonprofit and grassroots community-based organizations advance their equity goals by providing access to our proprietary data and transportation experts.
2021
CS Diversifies Board of Directors
Lance Neumann rotates off the Board and his seat is taken over by Kathy Stein. Flora Castillo is nominated to a seat bringing the makeup of the Board to 50% women.
2022
CS celebrates its 50th anniversary!
Staff gather to commemorate this milestone and toast to the future of the firm.
