A Traffic Forecasting Model for Pedestrians
A new methodology can help cities assess the impact of new developments on walkers. May 6, 2021, 6am PDT | Diana Ionescu |
While planners frequently use forecasting models to predict the impact of new developments on traffic, congestion, and road quality, no such model existed for assessing the effects of development on non-drivers. Now, reports Kea Wilson for Streetsblog, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Researcher Andres Sevstuk has created a sophisticated new methodology for estimating changes in the volume of walkers on city streets at different times throughout the day in response to changes in the built environment, in much the same way that planners estimate how vehicle traffic will change after they break ground on a building or roadway redesign.
A new traffic forecasting model may soon give cities the tools they need to project how a proposed development will impact a pedestrian’s ability to get around and rethink their decision if the project discourages people from walking.