Browsing by Subject "Spatial Econometrics"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
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    Development and Application of the Network Weight Matrix to Predict Traffic Flow for Congested and Uncongested Conditions
    (2016-08-01) Ermagun, Alireza; Levinson, David M
    To capture a more realistic spatial dependence between traffic links, we introduce two distinct network weight matrices to replace spatial weight matrices used in traffic forecasting methods. The first stands on the notion of betweenness centrality and link vulnerability in traffic networks. To derive this matrix, we assume all traffic flow is assigned to the shortest path, and thereby we used Dijkstra's algorithm to find the shortest path. The other relies on flow rate change in traffic links. For forming this matrix, we employed user equilibrium assignment and the method of successive averages (MSA) algorithm to solve the network. The components of the network weight matrices are a function not simply of adjacency, but of network topology, network structure, and demand configuration. We tested and compared the network weight matrices in different traffic conditions using Nguyen-Dupuis network. The results led to a clear and unshakable conclusion that spatial weight matrices are unable to capture the realistic spatial dependence between traffic links in a network. Not only do they overlook the competitive nature of traffic links, but they also ignore the role of network topology and demand configuration. In contrast, the flow-weighted betweenness method significantly operates better than unweighted betweenness to measure realistic spatial dependence between traffic links, particularly in congested traffic conditions. The results disclosed that this superiority is more than 2 times in congested flow situations. However, forming this matrix requires considerable computational effort and information. If the network is uncongested the network weight matrix stemming from betweenness centrality is sufficient.
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    Essays on Property Values and Urban Corridors
    (2016-05) Ko, Kate
    This dissertation contains three essays that are related to property values and urban corridors. Urban corridors are loosely defined as public infrastructures that promote economic activities. The first essay describes a procedure for estimating household willingness to pay (WTP) for housing and location attributes using a hedonic pricing model of property values with spatial autocorrelation. To model taste heterogeneity, I consider household-specific utility coefficients for parcel-level attributes. The application provides a way to determine the price impact of urban corridors on residential homes. In particular, separate analyses are used for single-family and multifamily parcels in Minneapolis. Ultimately, this essay addresses the question of how much do households residing in different types of properties value different neighborhood development and housing characteristics. The other two essays involve applications of the hedonic price model to light rail transit (LRT). Light rail transit (LRT) alignments are chosen because there are multiple transit extensions planned for the Twin Cities region.The second essays are coauthored by Ed Goetz and Aaron Hagar. Together, we analyze the property value impacts of the Minneapolis Blue Line LRT. Impacts are assessed in terms of the accessibility effect of proximity to an LRT station and the nuisance eect of proximity to the LRT track. We estimate the proximity effect on sales prices for single-family and multifamily homes using parcel data predating construction and postdating completion of the line. The findings confirm our expectations about the differential impacts of light rail completion and location. Accounting for regional fluctuations in the housing markets, we find thehousing premiums generated after completion of the line. Using parcel data from Saint Paul, Minnesota, a study of the residential property value impact of the Metro Green LRT is conducted. The goal of the third essay pa- per is to test for benefit transfer of results found in previous studies that assess the property value impact of the Metro Blue Line LRT. The essay compares the property value impacts in Saint Paul and those found in Minneapolis. The found similarities in return of investment specific to station area economic development can inform regional transportation planning and funding strategies that concern value capture.
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    An Introduction to the Network Weight Matrix
    (2016-08-01) Ermagun, Alireza
    This study introduces the network weight matrix as a replacement for the spatial weight matrix to measure the spatial dependence between links of a network. This matrix stems from the concept of betweenness centrality and vulnerability in network science. The elements of the matrix are a function not simply of proximity, but of network topology, network structure, and demand configuration. The network weight matrix has distinctive characteristic, which are capable of reflecting spatial dependence between traffic links: (1) The elements are allowed to have negative and positive values, which capture competitive and complementary nature of links, (2) The diagonal elements are not fixed to zero, which takes the self-dependence of a link upon itself into consideration, and (3) The elements not only reflect the spatial dependence based on the network structure, but they acknowledge the demand configuration as well. We verified the network weight matrix by modeling traffic flows in a 3x3 grid test network with 9 nodes and 24 directed links connecting 72 origin-destination (OD) pairs. The results disclose models encompassing the network weight matrix outperform both models without spatial components and models with the spatial weight matrix. This leads inexorably to the conclusion that the network weight matrix represents a more accurate and defensible spatial dependency between traffic links, and thereby augments traffic flow prediction.