If They Come, Will You Build It? Urban Transportation Growth Models

2003PDFTech ReportLevinson, David.Chen, WeiKaramalaputi, RamachandraUniversity of Minnesota, Duluth. Department of Civil EngineeringMinnesota. Dept. of TransportationMinnesota. Department of TransportationUnited StatesMinnesotaTransportation planningUrban growthUrban transportationInfrastructurePolicy analysisPublic policyDecision makingDecision theoryMass transportationUrban transportCity planningLink expansionArea based modelsMN/RC \u2013 2003-37(c)81655(wo)8Final ReportThis report develops several models of historical roadway improvements in the Twin Cities metro area. Planners respond to, and try to shape, demand by recommending investments in new infrastructure and changes in public policy. Sometimes capacity is added to existing facilities. Other times, building new roads is the response. As a result of this research, the ways in which current network expansion or contraction decisions alter the choices of future decision makers has become clearer. This research develops a theoretical framework, constructs a comprehensive time series database describing network investment, utilization and capacity, estimates several statistical models, and interprets the results to guide planning.95