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Transport Planning and Strategic Modelling

Unit code: ENN576
Credit points: 12
Information about fees and unit costs

This unit is designed to introduce students to the fundamentals of urban transport planning and strategic modelling. The unit will acquaint students with transport planning and strategic modelling as a profession, the types of projects that transport planners are required to conduct, and familiarize students with essential transport planning, strategic modelling, and evaluation skills. Urban transport is a dynamic phenomenon and by nature ever changing and affects everyone’s life. Transport investment decisions (or lack thereof) have been held accountable for either increased economic prosperity or spiralling economic decline and affect our travel choices, which in turn have dramatic impacts on the environment.
This unit is structured around five subject areas: understanding transport, current transport problems, transport policy and decision making, transport planning and strategic modelling methodology, and transport solutions.

Availability
Semester Available
2013 Semester 1 Yes
Offered in these courses
  • EN50

Sample subject outline - Semester 1 2013

Note: Subject outlines often change before the semester begins. Below is a sample outline.

Rationale

Urban transport is a dynamic phenomenon and by nature ever changing and affects everyone's life. Transport investment decisions (or lack thereof) have been held accountable for either increased economic prosperity or spiralling economic decline and affect our travel choices, which in turn have dramatic impacts on our environment. Therefore, the importance of scientifically planning transport network is obvious. This unit is designed to introduce students to the fundamentals of urban transport planning and strategic modelling. The unit will acquaint students with essential transport planning, strategic modelling, and evaluation skills, the types of projects that transport planners are required to conduct.

Aims

The aim of this unit is to provide students with a professional education in the transport engineering practices of transport planning, modelling and evaluation.

Objectives

On completion of this unit students will demonstrate:
1. A body of knowledge that includes the understanding of recent developments in transport planning, strategic modelling and evaluation.
2. Cognitive, technical and creative skills to generate and evaluate complex ideas and concepts at an abstract level for major issues confronted by transport planner and modeller.
3. Skills to plan and execute a real world transport planning project as a team.
4. Communication and technical research skills to justify and interpret methodologies and conclusions related to the applied project in transport planning.

Content

The major topics to be covered in this unit and their consequent skills acquired include:

  • Understanding transport and current transport problems: concepts, definitions, history of urban spatial structure, sustainability, transport impacts on environment, economy, social& mobility concerns.
  • Transport policy & decision making: development of transport legislation and related policies, state and local transport policies, and urban transport planning theories.
  • Transport planning and strategic modelling methodology: system and travel characteristics; urban activity analysis, survey methods, and land-use modelling; technical planning process.
  • Transport solutions: affecting travel behaviour through lane-use, regulatory tools, market forces, and supply improvements; increasing transport options; harnessing advanced technologies.
  • Formulating solutions for real world transport planning issues, presenting and justifying recommendations.

    Approaches to Teaching and Learning

    Approaches to teaching and learning in this unit include:

  • Weekly lectures to explain important concepts and challenges in transport planning and strategic modelling; demonstrate and compare conventional and advanced transport modelling techniques; numerous examples carefully selected from the real world will be used in the lectures to help students understand complexities of transport planning & strategic modelling and develop critical thinking skills.
  • An applied project to help students get hands-on experience in transport planning & modelling using techniques obtained from weekly lectures. The project topic will be selected directly from the real world or from the instructors' previous research projects. To foster shared learning experiences and to enable students to benefit from fellow students' experiences and ideas, this semester project will be assigned as a team work (e.g., 2~3 students in each team).
  • A number of computer demonstrations where the instructors will demonstrate, step by step, how to use widely-available analysis tools to facilitate transport planning, modelling, and evaluation process.
  • Guest lectures. Guest lecturers from professionals in transport will discuss various aspects of transport planning and strategic modelling with students, and highlight the tremendous need for professionals in transport planning and strategic modelling.
  • Use of the Blackboard online environment to augment contact content and link to applicable, useful sources of information and search tools.
  • Ongoing support of the teaching team throughout the semester by way of contact sessions, virtual access via the Blackboard learning environment and electronic mail.

    Assessment

    This unit incorporates three items of assessment:
    (1) A mid-semester exam to be sat individually in the middle of the semester. The examination will check your understanding of important concepts in transport planning, skills in modelling travel behaviour and developing sustainable strategies. The item carries a 30 point weight.
    (2) A semester project to help you to get hands-on experience in transport planning & strategic modelling using techniques obtained from weekly lectures. To foster your collaborative skills and to enable you to benefit from fellow students' experiences and ideas, this semester project will be assigned as a team work (e.g., 2-3 students in each team). The item carries a 40 point weight to each individual in the team.
    (3) A final presentation during the QUT examination period following the semester teaching period. Each group will be asked to give a 20-min presentation (15 min for presentation and 5 for Q&A) based on the semester project. The final presentation carries a 30 point weight.Assessment item 1 being a formal examination is purely summative in nature. It will be assessed using Criterion Referenced Assessment, with a proforma published to you prior to the examination. Each question will be assigned CRA criterion/criteria, which will be graded on the 7 scale. Weighting of each question towards the total examination weight will be identified on the examination paper.
    Assessment items 2 and 3 below will be assessed using Criterion Referenced Assessment as per QUT policy. The criteria for each item will specifically match tasks required of the assignment brief/s to unit learning outcome/s and contain the weighting of each criterion as it contributes to the weight of the overall submission. The CRA proforma will contain verbal descriptors relating to the attainment of a grade on the 7 scale for each criterion. Assignments will also be marked up selectively with brief written comments as appropriate to provide targeted feedback on particular errors, omissions, high quality elements and the like.

    Assessment name: Examination (written)
    Description: Mid-semester exam
    Invigilated, unseen Q/s.
    Relates to objectives: 1, 2
    Weight: 30%
    Internal or external: Internal
    Group or individual: Individual
    Due date: Mid-Semester

    Assessment name: Case Study
    Description: Applied project
    Application of discipline specific models or constructs for analysis and critique of an event in its real world context (real world application to be selected in consultation with unit coordinator).
    Assessment: Individual (20% weight), plus team pair (20% weight).
    Relates to objectives: 1, 2, 3
    Weight: 40%
    Internal or external: Internal
    Group or individual: Group with Individual Component
    Due date: Last teaching week

    Assessment name: Presentation (Oral)
    Description: Applied project presentation
    15 minutes in class presentation + 5 minutes Q&A.
    Relates to objectives: 4
    Weight: 30%
    Internal or external: Internal
    Group or individual: Individual
    Due date: Examination Period

    Academic Honesty

    Academic honesty means that you are expected to exhibit honesty and act responsibly when undertaking assessment. Any action or practice on your part which would defeat the purposes of assessment is regarded as academic dishonesty. The penalties for academic dishonesty are provided in the Student Rules. For more information you should consult the QUT Library resources for avoiding plagiarism.

    Resource materials

    Any materials or resources that students may need to purchase or pay for (note that there are strict regulatory requirements relating to charging students for resource materials - see Guidelines for Costs to Students for more information). Resource materials might include:

  • Giuliano,G., 2004. The geography of urban transport (Third edition). Guilford Press.
  • Rodrigue, J.P., Comtois, C., Slack, B., 2009. The geography of transport systems (Second edition). New York: Routledge. (An electronic version is freely available at )
  • Shiftan, Y., Button, K.J., Nijkamp, P., 2007. Transport planning. Edward Elgar.
  • Kitamura, R., Yoshii, T., Yamamoto, T., 2009. The expanding sphere of travel behaviour research. International Association for Travel Behaviour Research.
  • Meyer and Miller, Urban Transportation Planning, 2nd Edition. 2001.
  • Washington, S.P., Karlaftis, M.G., Manneering, F.L., 2010. Statistical and Econometric Methods for Transport Data Analysis (Second edition). Chapman and Hall.
  • Additional readings for a specific topic will be posted through the QUT Blackboard.
  • QUT subscribes to particular transport planning software and statistical packages, which can be accessed through computer laboratories. Laboratory bookings may be made as part of the unit semester timetable to provide you with dedicated access during instruction.
  • No personal equipment is required in order to complete this unit aside from normal stationery requirements, calculator and the like.
  • Any case studies selected will be close to QUT Gardens Point Campus, and accessible via public transport. You would be responsible for any visit of a site in your own time, in a non-QUT controlled environment.

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    Risk assessment statement

  • There are no out-of-the-ordinary risks in association with attending any classes.
  • Attending your own organised site visit/s. In these circumstances, you must act as a responsible member of the community, and not cause any hindrance or danger to any worker, fellow student, or member of the public.
  • You shall not enter any construction site, private property or other controlled site for the purposes of this unit.
  • You shall abide by all operator and government conditions and guidelines when accessing transport infrastructure.
  • You shall not communicate about your study to any member of the community or official unless you are questioned by an authorised person, in which case you shall advise them that you are undertaking a fictitious project solely for university assessment purposes.

    Disclaimer - Offer of some units is subject to viability, and information in these Unit Outlines is subject to change prior to commencement of semester.

    Last modified: 13-Mar-2012