UPP 565 Fall 2004 University of Illinois Chicago Urban Planning and Policy UPP 565 Urban Mass Transit Technologies TIME INSTRUCTOR CREDIT Spring 2004 Call 54900 Mondays 1 00PM 4 00PM 204 Douglas Hall Michael J Shiffer mshiffer uic edu 312 432 7030 or 312 355 0309 4 hours ATTENTION First meeting 1 19 04 due to Transportation Research Board Conference MOTIVATION How have the various modes of public transportation evolved How do they work Can they be made to work better If this is the age of the automobile why are so many new lines under construction around the US and the world What s in store for Chicago In this seminar we will explore the technical developments design operations unique systems and common characteristics of urban passenger transportation through the years We will also discuss recent developments such as new rapid transit lines cropping up in Chicago and elsewhere around the world We will pay special attention to new forms of data collection and how this can lead to better informed planning Other topics include how to make buses more competitive and the thorny policy issues that pop up from time to time when serving such a socially and geographically diverse population In addition to a discussion of relevant readings seminar activities will include handson exploration of the construction and functionality of various artifacts such as historical fare collection devices multimedia presentations and important field trips to view key aspects of the USA s second largest transit system Finally we will explore the impact of new and emerging information technologies IT on the planning and operations of these systems with some of our own experiments GOALS The aims of the seminar are to 1 familiarize participants with the modes and operational characteristics currently available for urban mass transportation 2 expose participants to several cases where these transit technologies have been used or are in use around the world and 3 understand the impact of transit on urban form HOMEWORK Homework assignments include a case study of the transit system of your choice to be given as a class presentation and b lab projects or papers where you will focus on an urban transit issue of your choice University of Illinois Chicago Urban Planning and Policy Spring 2004 UPP 565 Urban Mass Transit Technologies BOOK Vuchic V R 2000 Transportation for Livable Cities New Brunswick NJ CUPR Press CLASS PARTICIPATION GRADING You are expected to attend all sessions of the seminar If illness or another factor prevents you from attending please contact the instructor PRIOR to the meeting Grades will depend on a combination of attendance your final project assignments quizzes field trip reports and your in class participation described in the context of the activities below CLASS ACTIVITIES Each class will consist of one or more the following activities Lecture A lecture to be given by the instructor guest lecturer or class participant on an urban transit oriented subject of their choosing Discussion of recent readings If this gets too lame we may need to throw in a quiz to keep you on your toes What s it for A short contest that involves guessing the general function and operation of an artifact selected by the instructor This may or may not be rewarded with a transit artifact of your very own or another prize deemed appropriate by the instructor Field Trip A first hand experience of actual sites and operations in the transit field around Chicago The week after each trip you must submit a report on your observations Movie Time A selected historical operational artistic or promotional presentation that describes an aspect of urban rail transit To be followed by a related discussion or a short quiz again to keep you on your toes Central Electric Railfan Association Meetings An optional exercise that involves a visit to a regular monthly meeting of this rather eccentric group of urban rail transit aficionados KEY RESOURCES Much additional reading material related to this class can be found online by searching the National Transportation Library maintained by the USDOT s Bureau of Transportation Statistics at http www bts gov NTL Additional sites will be distributed to the class via e mail throughout the semester Students are invited to contribute transportation related URLs that they feel are relevant to the class