Simulating the effects of urban development on activity-travel patterns : an application of Ramblas to the Randstad North Wing

In this paper we discuss the application of Ramblas to estimate the impact of three possible urban development scenarios in North Wing of the Randstad region in the Netherlands. These land-use scenarios concern the location of dwellings, office buildings, and industrial sites in Amsterdam and its surroundings. The three proposed scenarios differ mainly in terms of the degree of concentration, density of residential development, and the timing of the construction. Ramblas was applied to assess the impact of these scenarios in terms of sustainability criteria such as the number of kilometres travelled. The results suggest that global criteria are not enough to decide whether one scenario is preferable to another. Ramblas can provide more inside information