Microsimulating parcel-level land use and activity-based travel: Development of a prototype application in San Francisco

This paper develops a prototype of an integrated microsimulation model system combining land use at a parcel level with activity-based travel in San Francisco, California. The paper describes the motivation for the model system, its design, data development, and preliminary application and testing....

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Main Authors: Paul Waddell, Liming Wang, Billy Charlton, Aksel Olsen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of Minnesota 2010-09-01
Series:Journal of Transport and Land Use
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.jtlu.org/index.php/jtlu/article/view/124
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author Paul Waddell
Liming Wang
Billy Charlton
Aksel Olsen
author_facet Paul Waddell
Liming Wang
Billy Charlton
Aksel Olsen
author_sort Paul Waddell
collection DOAJ
description This paper develops a prototype of an integrated microsimulation model system combining land use at a parcel level with activity-based travel in San Francisco, California. The paper describes the motivation for the model system, its design, data development, and preliminary application and testing. The land use model is implemented using UrbanSim and the Open Platform for Urban Simulation (OPUS), using parcels and buildings rather than zones or grid cells as spatial units of analysis. Measures of accessibility are derived from the San Francisco SF-CHAMP activity-based travel model, and the predicted locations of households and business establishments are used to update the micro-level inputs needed for the activity-based travel model. Data used in the model include business establishments linked to parcels over several years, and a panel of parcels that allow modeling of parcel development over time. This paper describes several advances that have not been previously integrated in an operational model system, including the use of parcels and buildings as units of location for consumers and developers of real estate, the use of business establishments to represent economic activity, and the interfacing of this microsimulation land use model with a microsimulation activity-based travel model. Computational performance and development effort were found to be modest, with land use model run times averaging one minute per year on a current desktop computer, and two to three minutes on a current laptop. By contrast, long run times of the travel model suggest that there may be a need to reconsider the level of complexity in the travel model for an integrated land use and transportation model system application to be broadly usable. The land use model is currently in refinement, being used to identify input data and model specification adjustments needed in order to bring it into operational use, which is planned over the next several months.
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spelling doaj.art-625b896a736c477ab1849074b2e3feb92022-12-21T23:25:03ZengUniversity of MinnesotaJournal of Transport and Land Use1938-78492010-09-013210.5198/jtlu.v3i2.12476Microsimulating parcel-level land use and activity-based travel: Development of a prototype application in San FranciscoPaul Waddell0Liming Wang1Billy Charlton2Aksel Olsen3University of California, BerkeleyUniversity of California, BerkeleySan Francisco County Transportation AuthoritySan Francisco Planning DepartmentThis paper develops a prototype of an integrated microsimulation model system combining land use at a parcel level with activity-based travel in San Francisco, California. The paper describes the motivation for the model system, its design, data development, and preliminary application and testing. The land use model is implemented using UrbanSim and the Open Platform for Urban Simulation (OPUS), using parcels and buildings rather than zones or grid cells as spatial units of analysis. Measures of accessibility are derived from the San Francisco SF-CHAMP activity-based travel model, and the predicted locations of households and business establishments are used to update the micro-level inputs needed for the activity-based travel model. Data used in the model include business establishments linked to parcels over several years, and a panel of parcels that allow modeling of parcel development over time. This paper describes several advances that have not been previously integrated in an operational model system, including the use of parcels and buildings as units of location for consumers and developers of real estate, the use of business establishments to represent economic activity, and the interfacing of this microsimulation land use model with a microsimulation activity-based travel model. Computational performance and development effort were found to be modest, with land use model run times averaging one minute per year on a current desktop computer, and two to three minutes on a current laptop. By contrast, long run times of the travel model suggest that there may be a need to reconsider the level of complexity in the travel model for an integrated land use and transportation model system application to be broadly usable. The land use model is currently in refinement, being used to identify input data and model specification adjustments needed in order to bring it into operational use, which is planned over the next several months.https://www.jtlu.org/index.php/jtlu/article/view/124microsimulationland use modelactivity-based travelintegrated modelingresidential location choicebusiness location choice
spellingShingle Paul Waddell
Liming Wang
Billy Charlton
Aksel Olsen
Microsimulating parcel-level land use and activity-based travel: Development of a prototype application in San Francisco
Journal of Transport and Land Use
microsimulation
land use model
activity-based travel
integrated modeling
residential location choice
business location choice
title Microsimulating parcel-level land use and activity-based travel: Development of a prototype application in San Francisco
title_full Microsimulating parcel-level land use and activity-based travel: Development of a prototype application in San Francisco
title_fullStr Microsimulating parcel-level land use and activity-based travel: Development of a prototype application in San Francisco
title_full_unstemmed Microsimulating parcel-level land use and activity-based travel: Development of a prototype application in San Francisco
title_short Microsimulating parcel-level land use and activity-based travel: Development of a prototype application in San Francisco
title_sort microsimulating parcel level land use and activity based travel development of a prototype application in san francisco
topic microsimulation
land use model
activity-based travel
integrated modeling
residential location choice
business location choice
url https://www.jtlu.org/index.php/jtlu/article/view/124
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