AH2301 Transport Policy and Evaluation 7.5 credits
A transport planner should be able to identify and evaluate relevant policy measures and strategies of interest. This course is geared toward providing an overview of methods used by transport planners for project appraisal and evaluation. Project appraisal can be applied to narrow projects such as traffic signal plans, as well as broad strategies such as supporting public transport, traffic management measures, or encouraging sustainability. In this course you will focus on strategy formulation and methodology for project appraisal, with a special emphasis on cost benefit analysis, equity measures, non-market valuation, and sustainability issues.
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Content and learning outcomes
Course contents
- 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.
Intended 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 disposition
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Literature and preparations
Specific prerequisites
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.
For other students:
- 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: Linear Algebra, Calculus in One Variable, and Probability & Statistics; and
- English language proficiency equivalent to (the Swedish upper secondary school) English course B/6.
Recommended 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.
Equipment
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Literature
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Examination and completion
If the course is discontinued, students may request to be examined during the following two academic years.
Grading scale
A, B, C, D, E, FX, F
Examination
- LABA - Laboratory Exercises, 4.0 credits, grading scale: A, B, C, D, E, FX, F
- PRO1 - Project, 3.5 credits, grading scale: P, F
Based on recommendation from KTH’s coordinator for disabilities, the examiner will decide how to adapt an examination for students with documented disability.
The examiner may apply another examination format when re-examining individual students.
Other 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.
Opportunity to complete the requirements via supplementary examination
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Opportunity to raise an approved grade via renewed examination
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Examiner
Ethical approach
- All members of a group are responsible for the group's work.
- In any assessment, every student shall honestly disclose any help received and sources used.
- In an oral assessment, every student shall be able to present and answer questions about the entire assignment and solution.
Further information
Course web
Further information about the course can be found on the Course web at the link below. Information on the Course web will later be moved to this site.
Course web AH2301Offered by
Main field of study
Built Environment
Education cycle
Second cycle
Add-on studies
Appropriate follow-up course: AH2303 Transport and sustainable development