UTC/DCT Distinguished Lecture
10:00 a.m., March 21, 2008
Room 106 Composites Manufacturing Science Laboratory
The Role of Computing in Urban Travel Forecasting:
How Transportation Planning Practice Shaped Software
and Software Impacted Transportation Planning Practice
David Boyce
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
Abstract
Urban travel forecasting for transportation planning was one of the first large-scale civilian
applications of mainframe computers, beginning in the 1950s. During the past 50 years, the use of
computers in urban travel forecasting has steadily evolved, from mainframes to minicomputers to
engineering workstations and PCs. Despite huge increases in computer memory and processing
speed, travel forecasting models continue to expand to fully utilize currently available capacity.
This seminar will trace the evolution of computer use, especially computer programs and software,
from the early urban transportation studies, government in-house computer programming activities,
and innovations by consultants to the present software systems supplied by commercial
developers/vendors. The roles of these actors in advancing as well as deterring the application of
methods evolving from research and practice will be examined.
The seminar is based on interviews and analyses of published reports and papers conducted for the
preparation of a chapter in a book on the history of urban travel forecasting under preparation by
Professors David Boyce and Huw Williams.
Speaker Biography
David Boyce is Professor Emeritus of Transportation and Regional Science in the Department of Civil
and Materials Engineering at the University of Illinois at Chicago; he is also Adjunct Professor of Civil
and Environmental Engineering at Northwestern University. He received his Master of City Planning
degree and his Ph.D. in Regional Science from the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Boyce is a
Registered Professional Engineer in the State of Ohio, a Life Member of ASCE, and an Emeritus
Member of the Transportation Networks Committee of the Transportation Research Board. He has
received a number of awards and honors for his many research and service contributions to the field
of regional science. To date, he has published 178 journal articles, books, book chapters, and reports.
Light refreshments will be served. For more information, contact Marikka Beach:
marikka@udel.edu or 302-831-2442