AH2301 Transport Policy and Evaluation 7.5 credits

• Educational level

  Second cycle

• Academic level (A-D)

  D

• Subject area

• Grade scale

  A, B, C, D, E, FX, F

• Course page on KTH Social

Learning outcomes

After the course you should be able to:

• identify relevant policy measures and strategies to address transport oriented problems and discuss their effectiveness in relation to societal objectives
• discuss the underlying principles for different appraisal frameworks
• apply multi-criteria analysis to transport projects
• explain and apply the principles of cost-benefit analysis to make economic appraisals of transport improvement projects
• account for advantages and limitations of cost-benefit analysis
• account for methods for non-market valuation, and discuss their strengths and limitations
• use travel cost and basic stated choice methods for non-market valuation
• apply relevant methods to account for uncertainties in project evaluation
• use relevant equity measures to account for distributional impacts of different transport policies, and discuss their strengths and limitations
• use and discuss equity measures applied in developing countries
• identify important barriers to implementation of transport policies in different contexts, and discuss means to address such barriers.

Course main content

• Policy identification and strategy formulation.
• Frameworks for appraising transport policy impact – land use, accessibility, air pollution, noise, accidents, and sustainability.
• Principles for evaluating benefits and costs.
• Basic principles and methodology for market and non-market valuation, such as stated choice methods, hedonic price models, contingent valuation, and travel cost method.
• Present value, interest rate and discount rates.
• Taxes, charges and regulation.
• Principles and methods to handle uncertainties in appraisal and evaluation.
• Equity and distributional impacts.
• Sustainability and intergenerational equity.
• Implementation and barriers to implementation.

The content of the course is presented and exercised in tutorials. Further training is provided in laboratory exercises. In a project assignment, the student will assess different policies to address an urgent policy issue.

Eligibility

For admitted students to the Master of Science in Civil Engineering and Urban Management (CSAMH) or the Master of Science in Transport and Geoinformation Technology (TTGTM), there are no additional requirements.

Other students should have:

• A completed bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, urban planning, geomatics, geography, engineering physics, computer science, statistics, economics, and/or mathematics, including at least 6 university credits (hp) in each of the following or their equivalents: Programming Techniques, Linear Algebra, Calculus in One Variable, and Probability & Statistics; and
• Documented proficiency in English corresponding to English B.

Prerequisites

For single course students, i e students not enrolled in a regular KTH programme, the following is required:

• Completed and documented upper secondary education including documented proficiency in English and
• a completed Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Science, Economics or Planning including at least 60 credits in Mathematics, Physics, Statistics and/or Computer Science, as defined in the admission requirements for the Master’s programme in Transport Systems.

Literature

Mallard, G. and Glaister, S., 2008, Transportation Economics: Theory, Application, and Policy, ISBN 978-0230516878.

Ett urval av forskningasrtiklar.

Examination

• LABA - Laboratory Exercises, 4.0 credits, grade scale: A, B, C, D, E, FX, F
• PROA - Project Report, 3.5 credits, grade scale: A, B, C, D, E, FX, F

Requirements for final grade

Mandatory laboratory exercises equivalent to 4 credits with grading scale A-F and a mandatory project assignment equivalent to 3.5 credits with grading scale A-F.

Offered by

ABE/Transport and Location Analysis

Contact

Yusak Susilo, yusak.susilo@abe.kth.se

Examiner

Yusak Susilo <yusak.susilo@abe.kth.se>

Add-on studies

Appropriate follow-up course: AH2303 Transport and sustainable development

Version

Course plan valid from: Autumn 13.
Examination information valid from: Spring 12.