Effective Decision-Making Methods for Freight-Efficient Land Use

Much attention has been focused on land-use strategies for reducing vehicle travel, as well as providing a range of other economic, social, and environmental benefits. These strategies include compact/higher density neighborhoods, greater mixes of uses, pedestrian-friendly design, and infill development—strategies that are collectively known as smart growth. However, the research has almost exclusively focused on the impact of smart growth on passenger travel and generally ignored goods and services movement by trucks. In addition, there are many other factors influencing land use such as population growth, gentrification, and new supply chain management approaches such as freight villages, freight hubs, and inland ports that can affect freight movement. Freight traffic is growing faster than car traffic. The U.S. Department of Energy projects that truck vehicle-miles of travel (VMT) will grow by 50% between 2015 and 2040, compared with 26% for light-duty vehicles. Furthermore, diesel engine pollutants have emerged as a top health concern among mobile source generated air pollution, especially particulate matter and fine particles. These increases will greatly impact the nation’s ability to achieve its objectives for environmental sustainability and livability. As metropolitan areas increasingly adopt various land-use practices, research is needed on their impacts on goods movement by all freight modes. The objectives of this research are to develop a guide to: (1) quantify and evaluate the impact of land-use practices and policies to support efficient movement of all modes of freight; and (2) develop quantitative and qualitative land-use assessment tools (e.g., models, matrices, guides) to assist local, regional, and state land-use and transportation decision makers to support efficient movement of freight.

• Record URL:
  http://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=4187

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Completed
• Funding: $500000
• Contract Numbers:

  Project 08-111

• Sponsor Organizations:

  National Cooperative Highway Research Program

  Transportation Research Board
  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001

  American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)

  444 North Capitol Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Project Managers:

  Rogers, William

• Performing Organizations:

  Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

  Department of Civil Engineering
  Troy, NY  United States  12180-3590
• Principal Investigators:

  Holguin-Veras, Jose

• Start Date: 20170320
• Expected Completion Date: 20191231
• Actual Completion Date: 20191231
• Source Data: RiP Project 40806

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Decision making; Energy consumption; Environmental impacts; Freight traffic; Freight transportation; Greenhouse gases; Land use planning; Modal shift; Railroads; Trucking; Vehicle miles of travel
• Subject Areas: Environment; Freight Transportation; Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Railroads;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01598915
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Transportation Research Board
• Contract Numbers: Project 08-111
• Files: TRB, RiP
• Created Date: May 8 2016 1:00AM