Master of City and Regional Planning

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Master of City and Regional Planning

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https://hdl.handle.net/1853/73244

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School of City and Regional Planning

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Now showing 1 - 10 of 14

Cluster-based Delineation of Megaregions in the United States: Identifying administrative boundaries that reflect meta-communities to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of government

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2021-05-04) Miller, Bryce Curtis

Coordination and collaboration through governance at meta-urban scales have the potential to significantly improve quality of life while reducing the bureaucratic burden on society. Megaregional research and delineation has largely focused on scholarly inquiry into specific relationships using narrow datasets or on private efforts to identify market opportunities with opaque analysis methods. This work aims to provide a megaregion delineation that is transparent, data diverse, and comprehensible to a degree that the resulting boundaries are well suited to administrative implementation. The process developed leverages a combination of cluster analysis and metropolitan planning organization locations to identify sub-regions that share morphological characteristics and functional relationships. Recommendations are made for subsequent research into four areas: new data sources, process refinements, applications for megaregional planning, and implementation principles for megaregional government.
Analyzing the difference between bike share trips made on regular and electric bicycles

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2019-09-11) Borsch, Adam

In 2017, JUMP Bicycle Company introduced dockless electric bicycles in several cities in the United States. Two of these cities were Austin, TX, and Atlanta, GA, both of which already had bikeshare companies operating with traditional non-electric bicycle fleets. This makeup of two unique sources of data for non-electric and electric bikeshare in these two cities presents a unique opportunity to study the difference between trips made on a pedal-assist bicycle and a standard bicycle that are a part of an urban bikeshare network. To conduct this work, the researchers collected three months of data in each of the cities and analyzed the data by comparing trip counts, mapping the origins and destinations and the routes of the trips, and finally analyzing the distance and other characteristics of the trips. The results of the study found an increase in the number of bikeshare trips taken in both cities, however, many of these new electric bicycle trips come at the expense of existing bikeshare trips. The geographic area covered by the trips increase greatly when electric bicycles trips are compared to regular bike trips in both cities, however, the average trip lengths stayed constant. Results suggest the introduction of electric bikeshares is a promising prospect to increase mobility and will need to be incorporated into transportation plans for cities moving forward.
Linking MPBN and system of system thinking: To improve outcomes in urban environments using Chinese worker villages as a test case

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2018-04-30) Tobey, Michael Boynton

Urban environments are composed of a multitude of systems that actively engage with each other to maintain, grow, and define the physical forms of the city. These individual aspects can be divided up into a series of system trees that form distinct entities, but together they corm a complete matrix of systems that influence and affect the urban context. These systems fall under two significant categorizations of flows either those mostly affecting the physical world and those that are more confined to the virtual or non-physical world. Often the boundary between these two systems, or elements within them, are not neatly contained to themselves as they intermingle and create uncertain and stochastic edgeless systems. This paper is to focus on the coupling of the Material – Product – Building – Neighborhood system, and the system-of-systems thinking for logistical systems for a single material pathway.
Advancing strategic focuses through performance-based evaluation – the growth of state dot approaches

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2017-08-01) Sperling, Elliot Asher

As a result of the enactment of the 2012 national surface transportation legislation, Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21), performance-based approaches have substantially grown in importance and use. States are examining their existing processes to ensure increases in transportation system performance over time. Certain states have developed internal processes that demonstrate use of a performance-based approach that effectively integrates both planning and programming decisions to meet agency-based objectives and national performance targets, and aligns with agency strategic goal areas. Through this research a national survey was developed and implemented to identify state transportation agency practices, which use multi-objective decision analysis (MODA) approaches to evaluate and prioritize strategic investments across asset categories. Agencies that are more advanced in project evaluation are able to quantify project values before they are funded to ensure that they are in alignment with an agency’s overall goals and, at the same time, demonstrate worthwhile investments to the taxpayers in an environment of fiscal constraint. Recent shifts towards more data-driven approaches in project evaluation are providing far more objectivity and certainty to project sponsors, and have led to more collaborative transportation processes for planning and programming. By linking state-based and national performance goals to evaluation methods, states will be better positioned to improve performance over time for their multi-modal transportation systems and better meet public expectations with the limited amount of resources and funding that are available. With growing uncertainties over future travel demands, the introduction of new technologies, and the phasing out of old technologies, strategic approaches will grow in importance.
Parking policies for resurging cities: An Atlanta case study

(Geomrgia Institute of Technology, 2016-08-01) Pringle, Jeshua D.

Parking policies lie at the intersection of land use and transportation. Although often overlooked by traditional planning and engineering methods, parking can serve as an amplifier for an area’s success or failure. The impact of parking can be revealed through a critical look at the history of parking and its role in decentralizing the urban core. The incorporation of parking into zoning regulations, and a commitment to shaping cities to accommodate the automobile, has contributed to the sprawling development patterns seen across the United States. Parking, and the policies that govern parking, are a reflection of a city’s priorities. Cities that provide ample free parking incentivize travel by automobile; yet, dense urban cores are capable of efficiently supporting travel by alternative modes. On the other hand, cities that manage parking through regulations, technology, and pricing can achieve a better balance in commute mode choice. As cities across the U.S. experience a resurgence of their urban core, the policies that govern parking should be re-evaluated to reflect those cities’ future priorities. This thesis evaluates policies that shape the way parking is managed in cities and assesses the potential impact of these policies in the central business district of Atlanta, GA.
Urban Tourism and Transportation; The Lesson for Atlanta

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2016-05) Sanker, Rishi Raghav

Tourism has exponentially increased over the years due to the drastic improvement in transportation systems leading to ease of travel. Cities, being the centers of economy and development, have greatly benefitted from this advancement in infrastructure resulting in a new form of tourism focused on cities. Cities such as New York City, London, Copenhagen and Chicago have been pioneers in urban tourism. The transportation features of these cities such as extensive bike and pedestrian infrastructure, tourist-oriented transit, great accessibility and connectivity have greatly helped in attracting tourists from all over the world. The World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF) uses World Tourism City Index to evaluate the ranking of cities in terms of tourism but does not include transportation characteristics as parameters to measure attraction to cities. This paper identifies transportation features that can be included in the Index based on the characteristics of tourist-friendly cities. The modified Index is used to evaluate Atlanta as a urban tourist destination.
Assessing the influence of policy factors on alternative fuel vehicle adoption in Georgia

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2016-04-29) Martin, Tyler Allen

To make a compelling case for government incentives as a stimulus for alternative fuel vehicle adoption, this thesis assesses the preliminary impacts associated with the elimination of Georgia’s income tax credits for low-emission and zero-emission vehicle purchases. The thesis identifies policy factors that appear to impact alternative fuel vehicle (AFV) adoption in the United States, with a focus on government incentives. Specific policy factors are discussed in the context of state and federal laws. For Georgia, motor vehicle registrations were collected to track AFV adoption rates before and after the change in law. Electric and hybrid vehicle registrations in Georgia have plummeted since the income tax credits were eliminated on June 30, 2015. Income tax credit data were collected to chart the significant increase in zero-emission and low-emission vehicle purchases and leases since electric vehicles started flooding the market. The primary outcome of this research is a set of distinct, measurable policy factors that influence AFV adoption in the United States. The factors identified include: 1) reward amount to income ratio, 2) ease of policy comprehension, 3) consumer awareness, 4) fuel/vehicle coverage of incentives, 5) incentive user groups, 6) forms of incentives (grants, income tax credits, etc.), 7) number of incentives available, and 8) dollar values of incentives. The conclusion presents factors for use in choice model estimation. These factors should be useful by policymakers who are trying to understand the true value of government incentives for alternative fuel vehicles.
The macroscopic fundamental diagram in urban network: analytical theory and simulation

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2013-07-03) Zhou, Yi

The Macroscopic Fundamental Diagram (MFD) is a diagram that presents a relationship between the average flow (production) and the average density in an urban network. Ever since the existence of low scatter MFD in urban road network was verified, significant efforts have been made to describe the MFD quantitatively. Due to the complexity of the traffic environment in urban networks, an accurate and explicit expression for the MFD is not yet developed and many recent research efforts for MFD rely on computer simulations. On a single corridor, an analytical approximation model for the MFD exists. However, this thesis expanded this theory in two directions. First, we specialize the method for models with equal road length on the corridor, which greatly reduces the complexity of the method. We introduce the adoption of seven straight cuts in approximation. Computer simulations are conducted and show a high compatibility with the approximated results. However the analytical approximation can only be applied with the assumption of constant circulating vehicles in the system without turnings and endogenous traffics. Secondly, we show that turnings and endogenous traffic can bring various impact on the shape of the MFD, the capacity, the critical density, the variance in density and cause a phenomenon of clustered traffic status along the MFD curve. Furthermore, the simulation using stochastic variables reveals that the variance in turning rates and endogenous traffic don’t have significant impact on the MFD. This discovery enables studies to focus on scenarios with deterministic parameters for those factors. While traditional objective of engineering for network is to maximize capacity and widen the range for the maximum capacity, our results indicate that traffic stability at the maximum performance is poor if the system does not stay constantly in equilibrium status. This thesis provides insights into the factors that affect the shape of the MFD by analytical approximation and simulation.
Innovations in multi-modal, schematic transit mapping: an exploratory survey

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2013-04-09) Carragher, Margaret Finch

Cities like New York and Chicago have comprehensive heavy rail networks that provide not only high frequency service, but also reach popular destinations and employment centers. Although many other cities strive for similar transit infrastructure, acquiring the financial backing and/or right-of-way to develop these transit systems can take years. To develop transit systems in a more timely and cost-effective manner, cities are using alternative transportation modes such as light rail, streetcars, bus rapid transit (BRT), and frequent local buses. As cities become more multi-modal, their system maps become more confusing. Historically, systems have provided separate transit maps for each transit mode they provide. However, integration of these new modes requires integration of system maps. Experts in the field of transit mapping have been calling for frequent transit maps, which highlight routes that provide frequent service or reach important destinations, regardless of mode. Some cities have implemented these multi-modal maps successfully, but to date, there is no documented guidance to assist agencies in creating these maps. Using Metropolitan Atlanta Regional Transit Authority (MARTA) in Atlanta as a case study, the research team created multiple maps that include three transit modes throughout the city and tested them through surveys on transit riders and non-riders. Each map adds BRT and local bus routes that meet specific frequency and/or location criteria to the existing rail map. This project examines reactions of transit riders and non-riders to these new multi-modal, schematic maps. Through surveys targeting individuals with different transit ridership habits, this project explores the potential to affect ridership on these alternative modes and enhance system understanding beyond the rail map. The results of these surveys demonstrate the need to simplify system maps, the public desire for frequency mapping, and the potential to increase ridership on alternative modes. These results build on previous work that schematic maps affect rider spatial understanding of the system and route or mode decisions. Including more modes on the map in an efficient and visually pleasing way, results of this project found that both riders and non-riders would take transit more and better understand how all of the modes interact together to form a comprehensive transit network.
Future paths for regional fare collection in Atlanta: a case study analysis of the planning and implementation of next generation fare collection systems for regional transit in North America

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2012-11-13) Anders, Joel D.

The Atlanta region will soon be faced with a choice as to how it will go about planning for and implementing its next regional fare collection system that will replace the current BREEZE system. In 2006, MARTA became the first transit agency in the United States to implement an all contactless smartcard for use on its services. However, there have been many advances in new technologies and the consumer payment preferences have evolved since the initial implementation. These developments, coupled with the rapid consumer adoption of smartphones and changing attitudes within the financial payments industry towards transit properties, have recently led four major transit agencies within North America to implement new fare collection systems based on open payments, the development of mobile ticketing applications, or a combination. This research uses a case study methodology to answer several questions related to the planning and implementation of regional fare collection systems in Chicago (CTA), Dallas (DART), Philadelphia (SEPTA) and Toronto (TTC). Based on the experience of the case study agencies, the implementation of Atlanta's next fare collection system is sure to be a long and arduous process. However, by utilizing the lessons learned from DART, CTA, SEPTA and TTC, MARTA and the other regional operators (Cobb Community Transit, Gwinnett County Transit and the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority) will be better poised to provide their patrons with additional means of paying fares while, at the same, minimizing the disruption to the existing fare collection system during the transition period.