Superblock Design and Evaluation by a Microscopic Door-to-Door Simulation Approach
The present study contributes to narrowing down the research gap in modeling individual door-to-door trips in a superblock scenario and in evaluating the respective impacts in terms of travel times, modal shifts, traffic performance, and environmental benefits. The methods used are a multiple-criter...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2024-02-01
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| Series: | ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2220-9964/13/3/77 |
| _version_ | 1797240785709563904 |
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| author | Ngoc An Nguyen Joerg Schweizer Federico Rupi Sofia Palese Leonardo Posati |
| author_facet | Ngoc An Nguyen Joerg Schweizer Federico Rupi Sofia Palese Leonardo Posati |
| author_sort | Ngoc An Nguyen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The present study contributes to narrowing down the research gap in modeling individual door-to-door trips in a superblock scenario and in evaluating the respective impacts in terms of travel times, modal shifts, traffic performance, and environmental benefits. The methods used are a multiple-criteria approach to identify the superblocks and a large-scale, multi-model, activity-based microscopic simulation. These methods were applied to the city of Bologna, Italy, where 49 feasible superblocks were identified. A previous large-scale microscopic traffic model of Bologna is leveraged to build a baseline scenario. A superblock scenario is then created to model five proposed traffic intervention measures. Several mobility benefit indicators at both citywide and superblock levels are compared. The simulation results indicate a significant increase in walking time for car drivers, while the average waiting time of bus users decreases due to the increased frequency of bus services. This leads to a noticeable car-to-bus shift. In addition, absolute traffic volumes and traffic-related emissions decreased significantly. Surprisingly, traffic volumes on the roads around the superblocks did not increase as expected. In general, this research provides scientists and urban and transport planners with insights into how changes in door-to-door travel times of multi-modal trips can impact individual travel behavior and traffic performance at a citywide level. However, the study still has limitations in modeling the long-term effects regarding changing activity locations within the superblocks. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T18:12:57Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ea21d1b045454703a36fd4a0bd6e5902 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2220-9964 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T18:12:57Z |
| publishDate | 2024-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information |
| spelling | doaj.art-ea21d1b045454703a36fd4a0bd6e59022024-03-27T13:44:52ZengMDPI AGISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information2220-99642024-02-011337710.3390/ijgi13030077Superblock Design and Evaluation by a Microscopic Door-to-Door Simulation ApproachNgoc An Nguyen0Joerg Schweizer1Federico Rupi2Sofia Palese3Leonardo Posati4Department of Civil, Chemical, Environmental and Materials Engineering, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, ItalyDepartment of Civil, Chemical, Environmental and Materials Engineering, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, ItalyDepartment of Civil, Chemical, Environmental and Materials Engineering, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, ItalyDepartment of Civil, Chemical, Environmental and Materials Engineering, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, ItalyDepartment of Civil, Chemical, Environmental and Materials Engineering, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, ItalyThe present study contributes to narrowing down the research gap in modeling individual door-to-door trips in a superblock scenario and in evaluating the respective impacts in terms of travel times, modal shifts, traffic performance, and environmental benefits. The methods used are a multiple-criteria approach to identify the superblocks and a large-scale, multi-model, activity-based microscopic simulation. These methods were applied to the city of Bologna, Italy, where 49 feasible superblocks were identified. A previous large-scale microscopic traffic model of Bologna is leveraged to build a baseline scenario. A superblock scenario is then created to model five proposed traffic intervention measures. Several mobility benefit indicators at both citywide and superblock levels are compared. The simulation results indicate a significant increase in walking time for car drivers, while the average waiting time of bus users decreases due to the increased frequency of bus services. This leads to a noticeable car-to-bus shift. In addition, absolute traffic volumes and traffic-related emissions decreased significantly. Surprisingly, traffic volumes on the roads around the superblocks did not increase as expected. In general, this research provides scientists and urban and transport planners with insights into how changes in door-to-door travel times of multi-modal trips can impact individual travel behavior and traffic performance at a citywide level. However, the study still has limitations in modeling the long-term effects regarding changing activity locations within the superblocks.https://www.mdpi.com/2220-9964/13/3/77large-scale microscopic traffic simulationsuperblockcar-free zonelow emission zoneactivity-based model (ABM)door-to-door travel time |
| spellingShingle | Ngoc An Nguyen Joerg Schweizer Federico Rupi Sofia Palese Leonardo Posati Superblock Design and Evaluation by a Microscopic Door-to-Door Simulation Approach ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information large-scale microscopic traffic simulation superblock car-free zone low emission zone activity-based model (ABM) door-to-door travel time |
| title | Superblock Design and Evaluation by a Microscopic Door-to-Door Simulation Approach |
| title_full | Superblock Design and Evaluation by a Microscopic Door-to-Door Simulation Approach |
| title_fullStr | Superblock Design and Evaluation by a Microscopic Door-to-Door Simulation Approach |
| title_full_unstemmed | Superblock Design and Evaluation by a Microscopic Door-to-Door Simulation Approach |
| title_short | Superblock Design and Evaluation by a Microscopic Door-to-Door Simulation Approach |
| title_sort | superblock design and evaluation by a microscopic door to door simulation approach |
| topic | large-scale microscopic traffic simulation superblock car-free zone low emission zone activity-based model (ABM) door-to-door travel time |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2220-9964/13/3/77 |
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