The Transportationist

The Transportationist, his spouse, and his children, welcome Samuel into the family. Arriving early, on October 2, 2009 at 7:58 am at Abbott-Northwestern hospital in Minneapolis, and now safely home with his family.

Posted by David Levinson at 1:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I was interviewed by Ina Jaffe for the NPR story: California Edges Ahead In High-Speed-Train 'Race' Of course a half-hour interview by Ina Jaffe was distilled into 2 soundbytes.

The story is fascinating ... not enough demand for air travel therefore we need HSR.

It is followed by an interview with Eric Morris. I am pleased to be no longer the only official California HSR skeptic.

Posted by David Levinson at 8:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TCRG BrownBag Speaker Series: Wednesday, August 12, 12:00 Noon to 1:00 p.m.

Topic: Destinations Count: Access to Destinations Research

Featured Speaker: David Levinson, University of Minnesota

Where: Wilder Foundation, Room 2610
451 Lexington Pkway (at University Ave)
Saint Paul, MN 55114
For a map see the TCRG website at http://www.TwinCitiesResearch.org

Event is free -- parking in Wilder's parking lot is free -- bring your own
brown-bag lunch.

Access to Destinations is a multi-year effort by University of Minnesota
researchers to analyze and model transportation networks in the context of urban
and regional economics. "The issue is what you can reach," says David Levinson,
"not how fast you can go."

Levinson presented the keynote presentation at a May 2009 conference of 300
transportation planners, engineers and researchers. He'll join us at TCRG's
August 12 Brown-Bag to share his presentation with TCRG and answer questions.

"All of the great cities have congestion. Congestion is an indicator of economic
success; the fact that roads are crowded with people going about their daily
business shows that the city is providing what they need." Creating access
induces people to travel and participate in the economy. This activity leads to
higher land values, which encourage developers to build housing and commercial
properties, creating new destinations and higher levels of accessibility.

For more background, Levinson's research is described at
http://www.cts.umn.edu/Publications/CTSReport/2009/07/AccesstoDestinations.html

Posted by David Levinson at 9:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

My presentations from the ongoing APA conference are now online.

Levinson, David (2009) Measuring the Structure of Transport Networks: Beyond Density, Diversity, and Design. American Planning Association National Conference, April 26, 2009

Levinson, David (2009) The Importance of Being Accessible. American Planning Association National Conference, April 25, 2009

Posted by David Levinson at 9:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I will be giving my talk on "The Coevolution of Transport and Land Use" for the Transportation Research At McGill (TRAM) seminar in Montreal.

The seminars are held every Thursday from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm in room 420 at the Macdonald-Harrington Building.

Posted by David Levinson at 4:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

My talk upcoming at Portland State (Described as "slightly geeky" by Portland Transport)

Topic: Transport, Land Use, and Value

Abstract: This presentation considers co-evolutionary process between the development of land and transport networks. Using data from the rail and Underground in London and the streetcar system in the Twin Cities, the empirical relationship is established statistically under several different contexts, and hypotheses about the positive feedback nature of the interaction are tested. Using insights from empirical observation, a numerical simulation is constructed to more formally test the relationship, and to understand the extent to which allowing networks to vary in response to land use (and land use to vary in response to network) affects the spatial organization of each. Models of network growth which fix land use, and models of land use which fix network growth, underestimate the degree of hierarchy that emerges in the system. Given transportation creates land value, and recognizing the problem of underfunding transport infrastructure, new funding sources can be used to increase transport investment, create additional land value, and improve social welfare.

Portland State University
Center for Transportation Studies
Spring 2009 Transportation Seminar Series

Speaker: David Levinson
Associate Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at the
University of Minnesota and Director of the Networks, Economics,
and Urban Systems (NEXUS) research group

Topic: Transport, Land Use, and Value

When: Friday, April 3, 2009, 12:00 - 1:00pm

Where: PSU Urban Center Building, SW 6th and Mill, Room 204

Posted by David Levinson at 7:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

From the University of Minnesota's News Service, the list of my recent media coverage all in one convenient place ...

Traffic Patterns After the Collapse
Dr. David Levinson, a University of Minnesota researcher for the Center for Transportation Studies, discussed how the metro roadway system handled the loss of the 35W bridge, and what will happen to traffic in the Cities when the bridge reopens.
Twin Cities Live
To view: http://twincitieslive.com/article/day/S20080801.shtml?cat=10699

Our bridges: To do nothing will cost more
It was a year ago today that the 35W bridge collapsed into the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, stunning a nation that had long taken its vaunted highway system for granted. ... Many observers think an increased use of tolling and congestion pricing could also provide major funding and more efficient utilization, by requiring drivers to pay top dollar during peak times, said David Levinson of the University of Minnesota's civil engineering department.
Star Tribune
http://www.startribune.com/politics/state/26160819.html?page=3&c=y

Drivers adapt to life without 35W bridge
A new study by the University of Minnesota shows that most drivers were able to adapt to detours within two months after the Interstate 35W bridge collapsed last August. ... David Levinson, a professor in the university's Department of Civil Engineering and Center for Transportation Studies, looked at the traffic patterns.
Minnesota Public Radio
To listen: http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/07/30/35w_bridge_detours/

U of M research on 35W collapse
University of Minnesota researchers have found that most drivers have experienced commute times after the 35W bridge collapse that were similar to their times prior to it.
KARE - TV
To view: http://www.criticalmention.com/ctv3-1/landing_email.php?type=email&video=true
&random_string=67342e94ebc4eb481fe39f14482ae1d

7-31 The Don Shelby Show
Thursday, Don found out about how traffic patterns have changed since the collapse of the 35W Bridge.
To hear: http://blog.lib.umn.edu/levin031/transportationist/LevinsonOnShelby.mp3

No clip available:

WCCO – Radio: Mondale and Jones Show

Posted by David Levinson at 4:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A podcast (mp3) of my interview on WCCO radio discussing the traffic effects of the I-35W Bridge Collapse with Don Shelby is now available: Download file

Posted by David Levinson at 4:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I will be on Don Shelby's WCCO radio show today at 3:00 pm or so to discuss the traffic effects of the I-35 W bridge collapse.

Posted by David Levinson at 1:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I will be on KSTP's talk show Twin Cities Live on Friday, August 1, at 3 pm, to discuss the traffic effects of the I-35W Bridge Collapse on a special issue talking about the collapse on its 1 year anniversary.

august 1

Posted by David Levinson at 2:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This morning's MPR interview about the traffic effects of the I-35W Bridge collapse is now online: Drivers flexible in choosing routes after bridge collapse

Posted by David Levinson at 2:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I should be on Minnesota Public Radio Wed. morning at 8 am Central or so discussing the traffic effects of the I-35 W Bridge Collapse.

Posted by David Levinson at 3:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

At 9:10 am today I will be on WCCO am: Mondale and Jones show

Talking about the transportation effects of the
I-35W Bridge Collapse

Posted by David Levinson at 8:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I appear on a U of M University News Service Expert Alert talking about the traffic effects of the I-35W Bridge Collapse.

(The movie is in Flash format.)

Posted by David Levinson at 2:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

UPDATED August 27, 2009.

I am leaving today for Paris, where I will be presenting a paper at The 3rd International Conference on Funding Transport Infrastructure. We hope to have the 4th conference in Minnesota next summer.

The paper is:

Levinson, David and Andrew Odlyzko (2008) Too Expensive to Meter: The influence of transaction costs in transportation and communication. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical Physical and Engineering Sciences 366(1872) pp 2033-2046 [doi]

Abstract. Technology appears to be making fine-scale charging (as in tolls on roads that depend on time of day or even on current and anticipated levels of congestion) increasingly feasible. And such charging appears to be increasingly desirable, as traffic on roads continues to grow, and costs and public opposition limit new construction. Similar incentives towards fine-scale charging also appear to be operating in communications and other areas, such as electricity usage. Standard economic theory supports such measures, and technology is being developed and deployed to implement them. But their spread is not very rapid, and prospects for the future are uncertain. This paper presents a collection of sketches, some from ancient history, some from current developments, that illustrate the costs that charging imposes. Some of those costs are explicit (in terms of the monetary costs to users, and the costs of implementing the charging mechanisms). Others are implicit, such as the time or the mental processing costs of users. These argue that the case for fine-scale charging is not unambiguous, and that in many cases may be inappropriate.

Posted by David Levinson at 12:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

From Newsweek, an article on the Convention and the I-35W Bridge, Bridges: Is Minneapolis Ready for GOP Convention?

John Hourdos and myself are quoted on page 2.

(I know, the article headline asks if Minneapolis is ready for the convention when it will be in St. Paul).

Posted by David Levinson at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

In today's Fresno Bee: House bill could breathe life into California high-speed rail I get quoted about high-speed rail. (I also got demoted).

Posted by David Levinson at 6:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I am talking (assuming my laryngitis disappears) tomorrow morning at the Citizen's League. My job is to open minds:
Upcoming Events > Mind Opener & Policy Forum: Transparent Funding Options for Meaningful Transportation Choices. My presentation will be posted online soon after.

Posted by David Levinson at 6:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

If you are interested in a post-doc or RA position with the Nexus Group, we have several Open Research Positions.

Posted by David Levinson at 3:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Nexus group has unveiled its new Home Page for Nexus: Researching Networks, Economics & Urban Systems.

This site is the product of a class project at Metropolitan State University where Nexus was the client. The students did an excellent job (as did the two groups whose product was not selected), and the final site largely reflects their design. There are still a few things to debug and certainly to update, but I think it looks significantly better than our 20th century website (which was really slick for 1996, moderately slick for 1999, and barely acceptable for 2006 ... although eventually may come back into fashion as a retro design).

Posted by David Levinson at 11:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I will be on The Exchange | New Hampshire Public Radio 9:00 am Eastern Time, Monday, May 8, 2006, talking about commute times and such.

Posted by David Levinson at 11:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

An article on the New Faculty Award from the Council of University Transportation Centers and the American Road and Transportation Builders Association

See Article

Posted by David Levinson at 7:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This link summarizes my Technology Enhanced Learning Grant from the University of Minnesota Digital Media Center

TEL Grant - Inquiry Based Learning

Posted by David Levinson at 5:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Levinson, David and Ajay Kumar (1994) The Rational Locator: Why Travel Times Have Remained Stable. Journal of the American Planning Association, Summer 1994 60:3 319-332.

This paper evaluates household travel surveys for the Washington metropolitan region conducted in 1968 and 1988, and shows that commuting times remain stable or decline over the twenty year period despite an increase in average travel distance, after controlling for trip purpose and mode of travel. The average automobile work-to-home time of 32.5 minutes in both 1968 and 1988 is, moreover, very consistent with a 1957 survey showing an average time of 33.5 minutes in metropolitan Washington. Average trip speeds increased by more than 20 percent, countering the effect of increased travel distance. This change was observed during a period of rapid suburban growth in the region. With the changing distributional composition of trip origins and destinations, overall travel times have remained relatively constant. The hypothesis that jobs and housing mutually co-locate to optimize travel times is lent further support by these data.

Posted by David Levinson at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)