The Center for Applied Transect Studies (CATS) promotes understanding of the built environment as part of the natural environment, through the planning methodology of the rural-to-urban transect. CATS supports interdisciplinary research, publication, tools, and training for the design, coding, building and documentation of resilient transect-based communities.

CATS is committed to transect-based environmental and land development principles that encourage the following outcomes:

• walkable, transit-connected communities
• comprehensive zoning reform
• context-based thoroughfare design and engineering
• affordable housing and income diversity
• regional, local, and individual food production
• passive climatic response in building and urban design
• reduction of environmental impacts and costs of infrastructure
• development and use of renewable energy technologies
• repair of unsustainable sprawl patterns

CATS launches free image bank for practitioners and academics: the Transect Collection, exemplary elements of urbanism professionally photographed and organized by the Transect.

The Language of Towns & Cities, supported by the CATS publication program, has been translated into Chinese.