Megalopolis and Transportation Corridors: What it Means for our ...

Megalopolis andTransportationCorridors:What It Means For Our UDUTCMichelle OswaldRebekah GayleySue McNeilDavid AmesUniversity Transportation Center1

Overview Purpose Research Questions Transportation Planning for mega-regions– Northeast transportation corridor Background on Megalopolis Significance of Megalopolis Definition of Resiliency Resiliency Measurements Mapping Resiliency of MegalopolisTransportation Networks from 1890-2006 Future Tasks2

Purpose UTC’s s focus: resiliency of transportation corridors Project goal: to understand the currenttransportation characteristics of the BosWashcorridor and to research its resiliency andresponsiveness to external changes. Final result: to build a strategic database forfuture research and identify the key factors inresiliency analysis and modeling for transportationcorridors.3

Transportation Planning formega-regions Dilemma- how to effectively managemega-regions from a transportationnetwork perspective? Results of failure due to lack ofcollaboration:– Traffic Congestion– Environmental Degradation– Structural Impairment– Social Injustices due to Limited Mobility5

Transportation Impacts Rail companies formed the initial “spine”of the Northeast corridor Highway networks formed the “skeleton”of the corridor Urban sprawl led to overlapping suburbanareas6

Northeastern CorridorCommutersheds(Miller, 1975)7

Duration of Northeastern CorridorCommutes(Regional Plan Association, 2007)8

Socioeconomic Clustering withinthe Northeastern Corridor(Short, 2006)9

Background on Mega-regions Jean Gottmann (1961)– Megalopolis: “large city”– Based on overlappingsuburban clusters– “string of cities”– 455 miles(Short, 2007)10

Megalopolis: No longer unique ResearchersextendMegalopolisthinking to otherregions of thecountry.– 10 Megapolitanareas will grow to20 in the next twodecades(Dhavale and Lang, 2005)11

Background on Mega-regions Regional PlanAssoc. 1967Report– Atlantic UrbanRegion– “New fact of life forplanners and policymakers” Richard Morrill– Update toGottmann’s s mapson population growth Robert Lang– Presently 10regions in US– 20 regions in 2040(Morrill, 2006)12

US Census Statistical Designations Metropolitan statistical area (MetroSA’s) Micropolitan statistical area (MicroSA’s) Combined Statistical Area (CSA) Megapolitan Region:– At least two, contiguous CSA’s– “Organic” cultural region - distinct history and identity.– Similar physical environment.– Linkages through major transportation infrastructure.– Functional urban network via goods and service flows.– Usable geography that is suitable for large-scale regional planning.13

Combined Statistical Areas(US Census, 2004)14

National Megapolitan Regions(Dhavale and Lang, 2005)15

Significance of Mega-regions Interconnectivity between metropolitan areas(Dhavale and Lang, 2005)16

Background on Megapolitans Projected National Growth vs. ProjectedMegapolitan Growth(Dhavale and Lang, 2005)17

Background on Mega-regions:Northeast Corridor Historical Population Change from1950 to 2000(Dhavale and Lang, 2005)18

Definition of Resiliency What is resiliency?? Adaptability of a system to adjust under stress Responsiveness to internal and external changes Measure of persistence and sustainability of systems andrelationships between– Land use– Environmental changes– Unexpected events– TransportationShort and LongTermDisturbancesSYSTEMADAPTRESPONDRECOVER19

Resiliency Measurements Traffic oriented measurements– Episodic Traffic accidents Construction Weather– Continual Traffic congestion Travel time reliability Route redundancy Irreversibility Connectivity Continuity20

Mapping Resiliency ofTransportation Networks– Four Time Periods Pre 1900 1920 1947 2006– Analysis of resiliency Urbanized growth- increased population throughout corridor Redundancy in routes- line density– 3 Steps: Population Density Network Density (railway and highway) Comparison between population and network21

Population Growth1890RAILWAYNETWORK2006HIGHWAYNETWORK22

Rail Line Density1890200623

Highway Density1920200624

Comparison1890200625

Future Tasks Complete the Discussion Paper: Background ofthe BosWash Megalopolis Corridor Research the topic of “resiliency” and how itrelates to the Megalopolis corridor Focus on land use changes within the corridor Evaluate future projections (+2040) inpopulation, employment, and affects ontransportation for the corridor26

References DeCerreno, Alison L. C. (2007) The Future of Transportation in the NortheastCorridor, 2007-2025: 2025: Rail Transportation. . New York: NYU Wagner Rudin Center. Dhavale, Dawn and Robert E. Lang. (2005). Beyond Megalopolis: Exploring America’sNew “Megapolitan” Geography. Metropolitan Institute at Virginia Tech Census Report05:01. Gottmann, Jean. (1961) Megalopolis: the Urbanized Northeastern Seaboard of theUS. Cambridge: MIT P. Houk, Randy. (2006). Railroad History. Retrieved on November 4, 2007 fromhttp://www.sdrm.org/history/timeline/. Lang, Robert E. and Arthur C. Nelson. (2007) Beyond the Metroplex: Examining Commuter Patterns at the “Megapolitan” Scale. . Lincoln Institute of Land Policy. Morrill Richard. (2006). "Classic map revisited: The growth of Megalopolis."MProfessional Geographer. . 58.2 155-160.160. Regional Plan Association. Northeast Megaregion: 2050. Retrieved ed on December 15,2007 from http://www.rpa.org/pdf/NortheastReport.sm.pf Short, John Rennie, Bernadette Hanlon and Thomas J. Vincino. (2007)07) Megalopolis 50Years On: The Transformation of a City Region. International Journal of Urban andRegional Research 31.2 344-367.367.27

Questions?? How does the concept of Mega-regions as aunique urban form stimulate new perspectiveswhen viewing your own research, especiallywhen pertaining to the BosWash Corridor? In reality, what is the potential of mega-regionplanning to reorganize governance structures,private-sector involvement, and/or grass-rootsrootsaction in the future? How does one define and measure resiliency ina way that has meaningful implementation forresearchers?28