CIVL 5560/6560 TRANSPORTATION PLANNING

Auburn University

Department of Civil Engineering, Fall 2012

Professor: Dr. Jeffrey J. LaMondia

Email: , 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 DescriptionThis course aims to develop a solid understanding of sustainable transportation policy and planninganalysis, 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 real-world applications.Prerequisites: CIVL 3510 and STAT 3010.

Course ObjectivesThis course aims to achieve the following objectives:

  • Provide an understanding of the issues affecting sustainable transport planning
  • Detail common quantitative methods used to
  • forecast and model change in transport systems
  • measure impacts generated by change in transport systems
  • 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 TextbookMeyer, Michael D. and Eric J. Miller. (2000) “Urban Transportation Planning,” 2nd Edition.McGraw Hill Publishing.

Course MaterialsHomework assignments, handouts, and readings will be posted onthe course website, located at jlamondia.weebly.com. The login is ‘transplan’ and the password is ‘civl5565’.

Course Evaluation and GradingCourse grades will be computed based on the following scheme:

CIVL 5560 Undergraduate Students

  • Homework Assignments20%
  • Exam 130%
  • Exam 230%
  • Final Project20%

CIVL 6560 Graduate Students

  • Homework Assignments15%
  • Exam 125%
  • Exam 225%
  • Final Project20%
  • City Growth Project15%

Final ExamThe scheduled final exam period is Wednesday, December5, 2012 from 12:00-2:30PM

No-Class DaysClasses during the week of November 19stwill 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).

Students with DisabilitiesRelevant 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 ParticipationStudents 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 AssignmentsHomework 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 acceptedfrom the end of classuntil 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-aloneexams 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 ProjectThe 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 ProjectGraduate 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.

Week / Date / Topic / Reading / Assignment Issued
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 / HW 2: Sustainable Impacts – Due 9/6
4 / 9/4 / GIS: Introduction / Supplemental Reading
4 / 9/6 / GIS: Displaying Information with Maps / Supplemental Reading / HW 3: GIS Mapping – Due 9/18
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 / HW 4: Scheduling Activities – Due 9/27
7 / 9/25 / Characterizing Urban Travel with Data / Chapter 4
7 / 9/27 / Describing Travel Behavior with Surveys / Chapter 4 / Exam 1 – Due 10/4
8 / 10/2 / SPSS: Introduction / Supplemental Reading
8 / 10/4 / Travel Demand Forecasting / Chapter 3 & Section 5.1 / HW 5: Descriptive Statistics – Due 10/11
9 / 10/9 / Trip Generation / Sections 5.2, 5.3, & 5.4
9 / 10/11 / SPSS: Regression Basics / Supplemental Reading / HW 6: Regression Analysis 1 – Due 10/18
10 / 10/16 / SPSS: Nonlinear Regressions / Supplemental Reading
10 / 10/18 / SPSS: Market Segmentation / Supplemental Reading / HW 7: Regression Analysis 2 – Due 10/25
11 / 10/23 / Trip Distribution, Part 1 / Section 5.4
11 / 10/25 / Trip Distribution, Part 2 / Section 5.4 / HW 8: Trip Distribution – Due 11/1
12 / 10/30 / Mode Choice, Part 1 / Sections 5.4 & 5.5
12 / 11/1 / Mode Choice, Part 2 / Sections 5.4 & 5.5 / HW 9: Mode Choice – Due 11/8
13 / 11/6 / Quantifying Sustainable Impacts / Supplemental Reading
13 / 11/8 / Tools for Measuring Sustainable Impacts / Supplemental Reading / HW 10: FHWA Tools – Due 11/15
14 / 11/13 / Effectively Presenting Information / Supplemental Reading
14 / 11/15 / City Growth Presentations* / --- / Exam 2 – Due 11/29
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 / HW Bonus: Alternatives – Due 12/5
17 / 12/5 / Final Project/ Presentation Report / ---

*The City Growth Project/Presentation is only for graduate students enrolled in CIVL 6560.