A major leap forward incorporating more detailed analysis of spatial patterns of transportation changes and allocating wider traveler benefits, accessibility benefits, equity, economic opportunity, and environmental sustainability benefits.
It is easy to confuse common language use with planning jargon. For instance, when transportation planners refer to equity, they are not necessarily just interested in the equal spread of benefits to everyone. Often, they are particularly interested in whether benefits are going to areas and groups that have a high incidence of economic hardship and historically underserved populations. And that means focusing on profiling the beneficiaries, rather than just noting the location of infrastructure investment. That makes a big difference, since there are many historical examples where highway and rail lines were put in poor neighborhoods but primarily to help those who live elsewhere.
This session discussed freight datasets and how they can be used to with TREDIS to analyze freight infrastructure and supply chains. We shared a comparison of available freight datasets: spatial considerations, strengths, and applications; what we can learn from the base freight data and forecasts; how freight data can be leveraged for scenario development and economic analysis; detailed walk-through existing case studies; and the overall need for freight infrastructure investment.
View video and slides: Using Freight Data for Economic Evaluation of Freight and Supply Chains
Glen Weisbrod
Why is it important? Uncertainty is an inherent factor in infrastructure planning and investment decision-making, but in recent years the view of uncertainty and its importance has changed substantially. This issue has now risen to the forefront as we consider the more extreme consequences of technology shifts, climate change, and resource sustainability concerns. It has increased the need and benefit of considering future risk scenarios and their economic consequences, as well as the usefulness of economic evaluation tools such as TREDIS. But first, let’s review how and why uncertainty has become so important today.
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Glen Weisbrod
Interest in transportation equity has risen sharply as part of a broader public discussion of disparities in wealth, income, and access to economic opportunities across America. But for transportation agencies, this has raised substantial concern about three related issues:
Glen Weisbrod
Today, there is increasing understanding that transportation improvements do not just affect time and cost for existing travelers; they also affect future potential access to jobs, economic opportunities, and business markets. Public policy is mobilizing to address equity concerns, and much of that focus is on disparities in access to jobs and other economic opportunities. The resilience of transportation systems is also being seen in terms of maintaining options for intermodal access and connectivity.
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