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). 1 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. 2 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. 3 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