Dr. David M. Levinson

Persistent link for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/11299/179806

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Access (Chapter 9 in The Oxford Handbook of Urban and Regional Planning )
(Oxford University Press, 2012) Krizek, Kevin J; Levinson, David M
ANNUALLY, traffic-weary residents across the United States eagerly wait for the arrival of their news source to learn about the latest congestion report card from the Texas Transportation Institute. This Urban Mobility Report makes headlines, especially in places with worsening congestion. Even smaller areas, possibly not yet victims what some might consider serious traffic, lament their annual increase in levels of congestion, yet secretly enjoy their emerging big-city status. Traffic engi- neers, planners, and politicians take more than feigned interest because, to date, such ratings are the only available measure to assess progress toward a concern central to livability that is front and center in the minds of many residents. Traffic congestion is a serious issue, undoubtedly, particularly in major met- ropolitan areas worldwide. But is congestion the problem or the solution? Taylor (2003) argues that traffic congestion is a solution to the problem ofhow to allocate scarce road space. (In contrast, economists argue for road pricing to allocate road space, but clearly there are factors limiting its widespread deployment.) Even if we agree that congestion wastes time, is minimizing congestion the most appropriate public policy goal (Taylor 2003)? Do measures of congestion provide the basis for policy prescriptions? We argue elsewhere (Levinson and Krizek 2008) that mobil- ity (or lack thereof because of inadequate networks or congestion) is an element of the larger goal-ensuring accessibility. Recent years have witnessed more than a handful of conferences or work- shops whose central themes focused on the concept of accessibility. For example, the University of Minnesota sponsored two conferences, prodUcing an array of recent scholarly publications on the topic in 2004 (Levinson and Krizek 2005) and 2007 (Axhausen 2008; Bruegmann 2008; Crane 2008; Lo, Tang, and Wang 2008; Ottensmann and Lindsey 2008; Scott and Horner 2008); in 2007, the European Science Foundation hosted a workshop, How to Define and Measure Access and Need Satisfaction in Transport (Becker, Bohmer, and Gerike 2008). The Network on European Communications and Transport Activities Research (NECTAR) con- tinues to sponsor activities focUSing on accessibility. Accessibility has even been touted as a civil rights issue (Sanchez 1999). As judged by the level of discussion, mention, and focus in specialized work- shops, interest in accessibility is high. Previous writings have focused on defining the concept of accessibility generally, starting from Hansen (1959), but also involv- ing other extensions (Dalvi 1979; Ingram 1971; Kau 1979; Rutherford 1979), measur- ing the concept using different approaches (Handy and Niemeier 1997), various data needs (Krizek 2008),8 or its use in explaining behavior (Levinson and Krizek 2005; Levinson 1998). This chapter recommends that policy decisions be based on important and reliable performance measures. Robust measures that simultaneously assess the performance of the transportation and land use dimensions of cities, however, are mostly missing from such discussions (Levinson 2003). At the heart of the pro- posed approach lies the concept of accessibility: the ability of people to reach the destinations that they need to visit in order to meet their needs. A focus on accessi- bility-rather than congestion or mobility- would produce a more complete and meaningful picture ofmetropolitan transport and land use. This chapter aims to articulate a clear role for measures of metropolitan acces- sibility and to demonstrate the utility of these measures in informing and influ- encing policy. It reviews necessary definitions, comments on the nature of past research, and suggests strategies to adapt such research into means. It endeavors to place accessibility in a position ofprominence as a performance measure; thus, this chapter has four parts and functions, as follows: • To describe the use and measurement of accessibility for metropolitan areas, • To appraise the current state ofknowledge and literature, • To identify issues about measurement, • To offer prescriptions for resolving those issues, given political contexts, and • To point to future directions.
Cordon Pricing Consistent with the Physics of Overcrowding.
(Springer, 2009) Geroliminis, Nikolas; Levinson, David M
This paper describes the modeling of recurring congestion in a network. It is shown that the standard economic models of marginal cost cannot describe precisely traffic congestion in networks during time-dependent conditions. Following a macroscopic traffic approach, we describe the equilibrium solution for a congested network in the no-toll case. A dynamic model of cordon-based congestion pricing (such as for the morning commute) for networks is developed consistent with the physics of traffic. The paper combines Vickrey’s theory with a macroscopic traffic model, which is readily observable with existing monitoring technologies. The paper also examines some policy implications of the cordon-based pricing to treat equity and reliability issues, i.e. in what mobility level a city should choose to operate. An application of the model in a downtown area shows that these schemes can improve mobility and relieve congestion in cities.
Developing a Comprehensive U.S. Transit Accessibility Database
(Springer, 2016) Owen, Andrew
This paper discusses the development of a national public transit job accessibility evaluation framework, focusing on lessons learned, data source evaluation and selection, calculation methodology, and examples of accessibility evaluation results. The accessibility evaluation framework described here builds on methods developed in earlier projects, extended for use on a national scale and at the Census block level. Application on a national scale involves assembling and processing a comprehensive national database of public transit network topology and travel times. This database incorporates the computational advancement of calculating accessibility continuously for every minute within a departure time window of interest. This increases computational complexity, but provides a very robust representation of the interaction between transit service frequency and accessibility at multiple departure times.
Disruptions to Transportation Networks: A Review
(Springer, 2011) Zhu, Shanjiang; Levinson, David M
Travel decisions may be very stable in a familiar environment. Major network disruptions such as the I-35W bridge collapse disrupt habitual behavior. Such "natural" experiments provide unique opportunities for behavioral studies, but the time window for such studies is limited. A well-developed methodology is crucial for both data collection and analysis, and thus the soundness of behavioral models , especially in such a limited time window. Therefore, this paper reviews both theoretical and empirical studies on traffic and behavioral impacts of network disruptions. Findings from this paper offers prospective ideas about capturing the impacts of network disruption.
The Economics of Transportation Network Growth
(Springer, 2007) Zhang, Lei; Levinson, David M
A number of factors influence the efficiency, productivity, and welfare of a transportation network. Travel demand, user costs, and facility supply costs equilibrate on various time scales under a set of pricing (taxes and tolls), investment and ownership policies. Two types of equilibria exist in a transportation network, short-run traffic equilibrium and long-run supply-demand equilibrium. The phenomenon of traffic equilibrium is explored with a fixed transportation network where the capacity of links is given. Even though investment- and ownership-related policies are not of major concern for studies on traffic equilibrium, it is still a complex problem due to network congestion effects, variations of pricing rules, and multidimensionality of user choices. In order to understand the long-run supply-demand equilibrium in a transportation network, one has to consider all above-mentioned factors in a coherent analytical framework. We refer to this research problem as the transportation network growth problem, because the network evolves and link capacity is not fixed in the long run. Most previous studies have considered network pricing, investment, and ownership structures separately, which are reviewed. The paper considers choices of prices, capacity, and ownership simultaneously on small parallel, serial, and parallel-serial networks, and develops an analytical network model. We discuss properties of long-run network equilibria with different network layouts and ownership regimes, and the implications on network efficiency.
Financing and Deploying Automated Freight Systems
(Edward Elgar Publishers, 2006) Levinson, David M; Zou, Xi
New technologies are bringing Automated Freight Systems (AFS), which aim to reduce congestion, mitigate environmental impacts and enhance public safety, to fruition. The financing and deployment issues of AFS differ from other Intelligent Transport System applications. This chapter briefly introduces major concepts of AFS. The financing strategies for these concepts are discussed, in which the government subsidies play an important role through the use of public-private partnership. Economies of scale and externalities of the current and new systems are discussed. In the discussion of the deployment of AFS, it is suggested that deployment schemes are highly correlated with financing strategies.
Methods for Estimating the Economic Impacts of Transportation Improvements: An Interpretive Review
(Edward Elgar Publishers, 2015) Iacono, Michael J; Levinson, David M
This chapter reviews several methods of evaluating the economic impacts of transportation improvements. We begin with a discussion of basic project-based methods, such as benefit- cost analysis, and discuss some issues which may complicate the accurate estimation of user benefits over the life of a project, especially the dynamic and recursive relationship between transportation networks and land development. We discuss the possible role of capitalized land value changes as an alternate source of estimated user benefits. We then move on to a discussion of regional economic analysis models as a tool for examining the effects of large- scale projects or packages of transportation improvements. Their linkages with non-traditional sources of benefits, such as agglomeration effects, and also network effects is considered. Lastly, we consider aggregate analysis methods. These include production function analy- ses, cliometric studies, and other types of empirical investigations of the relationship between transportation and econometric growth at an aggregate scale. We close by commenting on the merits of each approach, and where and how they might usefully be applied.
A Model of Bridge Choice Across the Mississippi River in Minneapolis
(Springer, 2011) Carrion, Carlos; Levinson, David
On September 18th 2008, a replacement for the previously collapsed I-35W bridge opened to the public. Consequently, travelers were once again confronted with the opportunity to find better alternatives. The traffic pattern of the Minneapolis road network was likely to readjust, because of the new link addition. However, questions arise about the possible reasons (or components in the route choice process) that are likely to influence travelers crossing the Mississippi, who had to choose among the bridge options, including the new I-35W bridge. Using GPS data and web-based survey collected both before and after the replacement bridge opened, a bridge choice model is estimated using weighted-least squares logit. In this way the proportion of I-35W trips can be estimated depending on the assigned values of the explanatory variables, which include: statistical measures of the travel time distribution experienced by the subjects, alternative diversity, and others. The results showed that travel time savings and reliability were the main reasons for choosing the new I-35W bridge.
The Political Economy of Private Roads
(Rutgers University, 2006) Levinson, David M
Retail Location Choice with Complementary Goods: An Agent-based Model
(ICST Institute for Computer Sciences, Social Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering, 2009) Huang, Arthur; Levinson, David M
This paper examines the emergence of retail clusters on a supply chain network comprised of suppliers, retailers, and consumers. An agent-based model is proposed to investigate retail location distribution in a market of two complementary goods. The methodology controls for supplier locales and unit sales prices of retailers and suppliers; a consumer's willingness to patronize a retailer depends on the total travel distance of buying both goods. On a circle comprised of discrete locations, retailers play a non-cooperative game of location choice to maximize individual profits. Our findings suggest that the number of clusters in equilibrium follow a power-law distribution and that hierarchical distribution patterns are much more likely to occur than the spread-out ones. In addition, retailers of complementary goods tend to co-locate at supplier locales. Sensitivity tests on the number of retailers and retailers' sequence of moving are also performed.
Road Pricing in Practice
(Edward Elgar Publishers, 1999) Levinson, David M
The history of turnpikes from their first deployment in the 17th century through their decline in the 19th century, and some restoration in the 20th century is analyzed with a view to understanding the systematic causes of these changes. Key factors posited to explain both the rise and decline include the length of trips using the roads, the size of the governing jurisdiction, the degree of excludability, and the transactions costs of collection - which dictate the size and scope of the free rider problem associated with financing. This paper concludes with some discussion of what is required for turnpikes to become the preferred financing mechanism for highways.
STREET: Where simulation meets reality.
(University of Minnesota, 2012) Huang, Arthur
Simulations and games are receiving increasing attention in teaching in higher education. In this context, we developed a series of simulation modules (STREET) in transportation engineering education and applied them in teaching undergraduate and graduate transportation courses at the University of Minnesota. After several years, we contend that they represent an effective pedagogical tool in transportation education. In this chapter we describe our motivation for this work, the program's development process, dissemination and impacts, and our future work.
Travel Impacts and Adjustment Strategies of the Collapse and the Reopening of the I-35W Bridge
(Springer, 2011) Zhu, Shanjiang; Tilahun, Nebiyou J; Levinson, David M; He, Xiaozheng
Major network disruptions have significant impacts on local travelers. Understanding the behavioral reactions to such incidents is crucial for traffic management and planning. This study investigates travelers' reaction to both the collapse and reopening of the I-35W Mississippi River Bridge in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Web-based surveys conducted at residences in several communities across the metropolitan area supplement hand-out/mail-back paper-based surveys distributed to workers in areas around the bridge collapse (downtown Minneapolis and the University of Minnesota). Findings from the four surveys highlight differences in travel impacts and behavioral reactions after the unplanned bridge collapse and the planned bridge reopening.
Unexpected delay and the cost of lateness on I-394 high occupancy/toll lanes
(Ashgate, 2009) Tilahun, Nebiyou J; Levinson, David M
This study estimates Value of Time differences between people who arrived at their destination as planned and those that were delayed. The analysis is based on the I-394 MnPASS High Occupancy/Toll (HOT) lane project recently implemented in the Minneapolis/St. Paul region. Using a Stated Preference survey, the individuals are asked about a trip they have taken before, and asked if they would opt for the free route or pay and go on the HOT lanes. The analysis groups the travelers into subscribers and non-subscribers of the MnPASS (electronic toll collection transponder) system and further decomposes choices into categories based on trip time and experience (delayed or not). Trip times were divided into morning peak, afternoon peak, and off peak and trip experience was divided into delayed and not delayed, creating six categories. The findings suggest an increased willingness to pay among subscribers who were late to reduce travel time in the PM rush hour. As well, we find some evidence that individuals who were late during the AM peak have a lower VOT as compared to their on-time counterparts.
The Use of Road Infrastructure Data for Urban Transportation Planning: Issues and Opportunities.
(American Society of Civil Engineers, 2008) Xie, Feng; Levinson, David M
In order to maintain and improve road infrastructure in their respective jurisdictions, the state (the Minnesota DOT), region (the Metropolitan Council), and seven counties in the Twin Cities Metropolitan area develop their respective decision making (investment) processes in which federal or local funding are periodically allocated to road projects, prioritized according to their funding needs based on measured road infrastructure conditions such as pavement quality, level of service, and safety. Including such an investment process in urban transportation planning enables forecasting changes to road infrastructure in the future. Periodic road infrastructure reporting provides standards the jurisdictions maintain, as well as the measures they adopt for the management of road conditions. These measures, developed and maintained by engineers, however, are inconsistent with transportation planning models, causing difficulties in fully using infrastructure reports in planning practice. This paper addresses the issues we encountered with regard to the use of road infrastructure reports in planning practice and identifies the opportunity to improve the inter-operability and integration of infrastructure reporting with urban transportation planning.

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