CIVL 5560/6560 TRANSPORTATION PLANNING
Auburn University
Department of Civil Engineering, Fall 2012
Professor: Dr. Jeffrey J. LaMondia
Email: jlamondia@auburn.edu, Office: 221 Harbert Engineering Center
Course Meetings: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 11:00 to 12:15 PM, 226 Spidle Hall & Harbert Computer Lab
Office Hours: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 10:00 to 11:00 AM, 221 Harbert
Course Description This course aims to develop a solid understanding of sustainable transportation
policy and planning analysis, including a firm mastery of the key quantitative methods and models
applied in practice. Substantive topics include: planning objectives and data requirements; planning
inventories; travel demand forecasting, modeling of trip-making behavior, development and evaluation
of alternate plans; cost-effectiveness evaluation, and multimodal applications. Additionally, students will
utilize geographic information system (GIS) and statistical software to apply their knowledge to realworld applications. Prerequisites: CIVL 3510 and STAT 3010.
Course Objectives This course aims to achieve the following objectives:
 Provide an understanding of the issues affecting sustainable transport planning
 Detail common quantitative methods used to
o forecast and model change in transport systems
o measure impacts generated by change in transport systems
o evaluate and select between alternative solutions
 Present assumptions, technical properties and limitations of these planning methods
 Illustrate these methods through application of GIS and statistical software to case study examples
 Expose students to real-world planning and analysis projects
 Provide a forum for the exchange of ideas regarding issues related to transportation planning
Course Textbook Meyer, Michael D. and Eric J. Miller. (2000) “Urban Transportation Planning,” 2 nd
Edition. McGraw Hill Publishing.
Course Materials Homework assignments, handouts, and readings will be posted on the course website,
located at jlamondia.weebly.com. The login is ‘transplan’ and the password is ‘civl5565’.
Course Evaluation and Grading Course grades will be computed based on the following scheme:
CIVL 5560 Undergraduate Students
CIVL 6560 Graduate Students
 Homework Assignments
20%
 Homework Assignments
15%
 Exam 1
30%
 Exam 1
25%
 Exam 2
30%
 Exam 2
25%
 Final Project
20%
 Final Project
20%
 City Growth Project
15%
Final Exam The scheduled final exam period is Wednesday, December 5, 2012 from 12:00-2:30PM
No-Class Days Classes during the week of November 19st will be cancelled for Thanksgiving break.
Classes during the week of September 10th will be cancelled as Dr. LaMondia will be away.
Makeup Classes The class will reschedule two makeup days to introduce/prepare the class project (in
the beginning/end of the semester).
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Students with Disabilities Relevant university policy regarding accessibility to the course material and
facilities applies to this course. Students requiring accommodations consistent with the policy must
notify and meet with the instructor during the first week of classes to ensure that any necessary
accommodations can be made. As per university policy, no retroactive accommodations will be made
for requests after this time.
Class Participation Students are responsible for assigned reading and participating in class discussions.
During class, cell phones must be turned off (or otherwise made silent) and stored at all times.
Reading It is the student’s responsibility to keep pace with class instruction and the attached course
outline. Students are responsible for reading the assigned material. Comprehension and the ability to
ask questions/ participate in discussions are increased if students read materials prior to class.
Homework Assignments Homework will be announced in class and posted on the course website, as
outlined below. Homework is due at the beginning of class on the dates listed below. Late homework
will be accepted from the end of class until the beginning of the next class period at a 50% reduction in
grade. Homework will be graded and returned within 1 week of being collected. Some of the
homework assignments will require the use of the lab computers, and, as such, it is recommended that
students begin this work early.
Homework Formatting Homework should strictly follow the formatting guidelines presented in each
assignment; Assignments that do not follow the guidelines will not be graded.
Homework Bonus The final homework is optional. However, if completed with a score of 85% or higher,
students will receive an additional 5 points added to their homework grade.
Exams There will be two stand-alone exams during the term. Both exams will be a take-home format,
and students will have 1 school-week in which to complete it. Students may use any notes taken during
the course, but he/she MUST work on the exam independently. Students should not discuss or compare
work with other students in the course. Each exam will be independent and non-cumulative.
Final Project The final exam will consist of a written report and presentation describing a real-world
planning study utilizing skills learned in the course. Specific requirements, grading rubrics, and study
topics will be presented on the course website.
Make-Up Exams Make-up exams are only allowed according to university policy or as allowed by the
instructor. Arrangements must be made in advance except in extenuating circumstances.
City Growth Project Graduate students enrolled in the course will complete an individual project
describing the interactions between transport systems, planning, and growth in a specific US city. This
project will culminate in a written report and presentation. Specific requirements and grading rubrics
can be found on the course website.
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Week
Date
Topic
Reading
1
8/16
Decision-making & Sustainable Growth
Chapters 1 & 2
2
8/21
How Cities & Transport Systems Evolve
Supplemental Reading
GP: City Growth – Due 11/15*
2
8/23
Dealing with Politics & Funding
Chapters 1 & 2
HW 1: MPO Summary – Due 8/30
3
8/28
Urban Transport Challenges
Supplemental Reading
3
8/30
Sustainable Transport Solutions
Supplemental Reading
4
9/4
GIS: Introduction
Supplemental Reading
4
9/6
GIS: Displaying Information with Maps
Supplemental Reading
5
9/11
Conference Travel – No Class
---
5
9/13
Conference Travel – No Class
---
6
9/18
GIS: Analysis, Part 1
Supplemental Reading
6
9/20
GIS: Analysis, Part 2
Supplemental Reading
7
9/25
Characterizing Urban Travel with Data
Chapter 4
7
9/27
Describing Travel Behavior with Surveys
Chapter 4
8
10/2
SPSS: Introduction
Supplemental Reading
8
10/4
Travel Demand Forecasting
Chapter 3 & Section 5.1
9
10/9
Trip Generation
Sections 5.2, 5.3, & 5.4
9
10/11
SPSS: Regression Basics
Supplemental Reading
10
10/16
SPSS: Nonlinear Regressions
Supplemental Reading
10
10/18
SPSS: Market Segmentation
Supplemental Reading
11
10/23
Trip Distribution, Part 1
Section 5.4
11
10/25
Trip Distribution, Part 2
Section 5.4
12
10/30
Mode Choice, Part 1
Sections 5.4 & 5.5
12
11/1
Mode Choice, Part 2
Sections 5.4 & 5.5
13
11/6
Quantifying Sustainable Impacts
Supplemental Reading
13
11/8
Tools for Measuring Sustainable Impacts
Supplemental Reading
14
11/13
Effectively Presenting Information
Supplemental Reading
14
11/15
City Growth Presentations*
---
15
11/20
Thanksgiving Break – No Class
---
15
11/22
Thanksgiving Break – No Class
---
16
11/27
Evaluating Alternatives, Part 1
Chapter 8
16
11/29
Evaluating Alternatives, Part 2
Chapter 8
17
12/5
Final Project/ Presentation Report
---
*The City Growth Project/Presentation is only for graduate students enrolled in CIVL 6560.
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Assignment Issued
HW 2: Sustainable Impacts – Due 9/6
HW 3: GIS Mapping – Due 9/18
HW 4: Scheduling Activities – Due 9/27
Exam 1 – Due 10/4
HW 5: Descriptive Statistics – Due 10/11
HW 6: Regression Analysis 1 – Due 10/18
HW 7: Regression Analysis 2 – Due 10/25
HW 8: Trip Distribution – Due 11/1
HW 9: Mode Choice – Due 11/8
HW 10: FHWA Tools – Due 11/15
Exam 2 – Due 11/29
HW Bonus: Alternatives – Due 12/5