Dissertations and Theses @ UNI
Availability
Open Access Thesis
Keywords
University of Northern Iowa--Planning; University of Northern Iowa; Transportation--Iowa--Cedar Falls--Planning; Planning; Transportation--Planning; Iowa--Cedar Falls; Academic theses;
Abstract
The development of methods that estimate travel demand and predict travel behavior is among the most significant advances in urban planning. The traditional transportation model has four steps: trip generation, trip distribution, mode choice, and trip assignment. This four-step model (FSM) encompasses an evolving methodology that determines the origin and destination, method of travel, and chosen route of each traveler. The focus of this project is to apply this methodology to analyze travel patterns associated with a university, specifically the University of Northern Iowa (UNI). A survey of faculty, staff, and students was conducted to generate data on UNI travel behavior. Transportation infrastructure information was coupled with demographic and socio-economic characteristics of the metropolitan population to support the development of the FSM and a two-dimensional transportation network. The off-campus survey results indicate that individuals cease to view walking as a viable travel alternative approximately 0.7 miles from the UNI campus. The results of the mode choice procedure indicate that gender, university classification, departure time, and distance have the greatest effect on the choice of travel mode. Overall, the results are consistent with those of similar studies at other universities. Traditional planning techniques were shown to be quite applicable in addressing campus transportation issues. The first two steps of the FSM, trip generation and distribution, can be directly established without the use of standard estimation procedures when there is only one trip destination and when commuter-specific residence data are available. Mode choice, often ignored in metropolitan models, is more relevant in a campus context and can be predicted through logit modeling. Trip assignment, the final stage of the FSM, was performed to examine the influence of campus-related commuting in the metropolitan area's transportation system, but this analysis was hindered by a lack of calibration data. Overall, the modeling procedure functioned well and presented an accurate picture of morning to-campus travel for the study area. With modifications outlined in this study, traditional transportation planning methods could be used at other universities to understand commuter behavior and to promote a more sustainable transportation system.
Year of Submission
2004
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
Department of Geography
First Advisor
Tim Strauss
Second Advisor
Thomas Fogarty
Third Advisor
Ramanathan Sugumaran
Date Original
2004
Object Description
1 PDF file (162 leaves)
Copyright
©2004 Jess Douglas Elder
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Elder, Jess Douglas, "Assessing the Applicability of Traditional Urban Transportation Planning Methods for the University Campus: A Case Study of the University of Northern Iowa" (2004). Dissertations and Theses @ UNI. 2571.
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/etd/2571
Comments
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