City livability depends on urban transit. Learn about transit systems and their critical role for the character of cities and quality of life. The goal of urban transit is to achieve an intermodal transportation balance. Ideally, each mode is used in its optimal role, in order to create a people-friendly environment. But how exactly can that be accomplished?
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This course will cover examples from different cities and countries; comparing their physical characteristics, transportation policies, and evaluations of their strengths and weaknesses. Learners interested in transportation engineering and city planning will gain expert insight into the critical role transit services have on the character of the city and quality of life.
Urban Transit is designed for transportation engineers, city planners, and general city planning enthusiasts. It’s also well-suited for graduate and advanced undergraduate students of transportation, civil, environmental, mechanical, electrical and systems engineering, business administration, economics, and architecture.
The course is taught by Vukan R. Vuchic, PhD, Emeritus Professor of Transportation Systems Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Vuchic has consulted on cities for government agencies and locations around the world.
What you'll learn
- Understand technical and operational characteristics of transit systems
- Review efficient operations of bus and rail transit modes
- Explore role and impact of bus, transit, and rail on a city’s livability
- Describe policies to create balance between transit, cars, and pedestrians and other modes
Syllabus
Week 1 - Cities and Transportation: Evolution of Transport Modes
Week 2 - Highway Transit: Buses, Trolleybuses, BRT/BHLS and Paratransit
Week 3 - Rail Transit: Tramways/Streetcars, LRT, Metro, Regional Rail
Week 4 - Rail Transit Infrastructure, Operations and Roles
Week 5 - Rail Transit Network, Scheduling and Performance
Week 6 - Fares, Financing, Ownership and Regulation
Week 7 - Transit Planning, Mode Selection and Design
Week 8 - Transportation for Livable Cities: Policies and Implementation Measures
