Moving Toward a Sustainable Oregon: The Future of Modeling and Decision Tools

DATE: 
Friday, June 8, 2012, 12:00pm to 1:00pm PDT
SPEAKERS: 
Beth Wemple, Consultant, Cambridge Systematics; Keith Lawton, Transport Modeling Consultant

The video begins at 0:52.

Abstract:  This seminar concludes the eight week exploration of transportation models and decision tools with a look to the future. Oregon is known for its history of forward thinking policies around sustainable transportation, including linking land use and transportation planning at the regional level, investments in transit and non-motorized modes, and statewide legislation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. To aid these transportation planning and policy decisions, Oregon has developed some of the most sophisticated models and analytic tools currently in use in the United States. As Oregon moves forward to address the next set of challenges - energy security, climate change, economic constraints and equity, models will need to provide new information at different spatial and temporal scales to support long range planning - 30 to 50 years out - as well as near term decisions - 1 to 5 years ahead. Beth Wemple, a Portland-based consultant with Cambridge Systematics, will share her view on Oregon's transportation future. Keith Lawton, consultant and former transportation planner at Metro, will respond by discussing the next steps for model development and application needed to support this agenda.

Speaker Bio: Keith Lawton is a transport modeling consultant and past Director of Technical services, Metro Planning Department, Portland, OR. He has been active in model development for over 40 years. He was involved with the application of TRANSIMS in Portland. Has led the development of the first tour-based activity model set at an MPO, which was used in a road pricing study at Metro, and been a leader in developing an integrated land-use and transportation model, which has seen project application in Portland. He has also led the move to include the effects of urban design on transport demand, and to embed these model elements in the Portland trip-based models. He has a BSc. in Civil Engineering from the University of Natal (South Africa), and an M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Duke University. He is a member emeritus and past Chair of the TRB Committee on Travel Demand Forecasting.