Urban transportation systems policy analysis

The goal of this study is to promote understanding of the complexities of urban systems. The main objective of this research project is to establish a systematic framework in order that planners can analyze and understand the implications that public policies have on urban development and transportation planning perspectives. We examine a system dynamics model of a hypothetical region which evolves with time. The urban development process is represented by the integration of land use, property market, job market, population, and transportation infrastructure. The interactions within each subsystem and between them are studied through scenario analysis using simulation (Dynamo Ill) and analytical techniques. The range of policy covers social and economic measures, traffic strategies, transit management, and highway expansion programs. Certain combinations of these options are also studied. Population distribution and travel time are the two key performance indicators. In so far as people's adaptation to inflating travel cost is not accounted for in the utility model, the travel time improvements associated with the pricing policy is likely to be overestimated. In as much as regional transportation planning can benefit through local traffic measures, reduction in collection-distribution time improves accessibility and reduces additional travel, partly offsetting the travel time savings otherwise gained. The most desirable state of development - social, urban, and transportation - according to the final analysis points towards the expansion of highway capacity, the control of land use, the expansion of bus fleet, and the restructuring of transit fare. While the resulting improvement in travel time is at least as promising as a number of other alternatives, the suggested set of policy changes is relatively easy to implement, reasonably inexpensive, and least controversial.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.S.

Level thesis:degree_level

masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Civil Engineering

Department dc:contributor.department

Civil Engineering

Grantor dc:publisher

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Year dc:date.issued

1986

Author dc:creator

• Ho, Philip C.

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Language dc:language.iso

en_US

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/10919/94453

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/94453