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Instructor: Daniel A. Rodríguez
E-mail:danrod@unc.edu
Office: 317 New East
Office hours: Friday, 9-11AM (signup at
office door) OR by appointment
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Class Website: http://www.unc.edu/courses/2007spring/plan/738/001
For syllabus in pdf format CLICK HERE
DESCRIPTION
With shifting political
priorities, the role of central governments in transportation policy-making
has changed significantly over the past two decades. Concepts such as
congestion pricing, private toll roads, and
for-profit mass transportation are beginning to be seriously considered as
elements of a broad transportation policy both in the developed and the
developing world. Meanwhile, local issues regarding the appropriateness of
specific investments, their impacts on specific subpopulations, levels of
travel demand, and transportation-related environmental concerns continue to
be dominant themes of grass-roots politics. At the local and federal level,
transportation continues to play a central role in concerns about
sustainability, from local food buying to peak oil. As a result, this course examines surface
transportation from a public policy perspective with special focus on its
institutional and operational components.
The course
is divided into four parts. Part 1 provides an introductory review of the
role of government in transportation markets. Part 2 covers how
transportation decisions are evaluated, including the vital role that
planners play in conducting technical analyses. The emphasis is on
understanding how technical tools are used for project evaluation, whereas
the mechanics of the tools are covered in other courses (PLAN 739 and 785).
Part 3 covers policy responses to congestion problems. Finally, Part 4 covers
transportation’s role in achieving environmental and social
sustainability.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
The course introduces students to the current
transportation policy discussions and methodological approaches for evaluating
and making policy decisions. Students will be able to learn from the policy
experience of many countries in areas such as:
- The role of government in
transportation markets
- Transportation
infrastructure financing
- Evaluating transportation
investments
- Transportation’s role
in sustainability
- Approaches to address
traffic congestion
- Market and non-market
approaches for addressing mobile source pollution
- Environmental justice
analyses in transportation
FORMAT
This course combines lectures and
seminar-style discussions. Active student participation is expected. Arrive
prepared to engage your colleagues and me in active discussion. Several
in-class examples will help in understanding and implementing the analysis
tools covered. By the end of the class students are expected to write and
present to their colleagues a transportation policy white paper.
MEETING TIMES
Monday: 11:00-1:45 PM, Hanes Hall
002
Copyright, 2003-2007.
Daniel A. Rodriguez
Website
developed with the assistance of Patrick McDonough
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