Minimising vehicular traffic for optimised land use development for a sustainable future

Abstract

Traffic congestion is a chronic issue in urban regions. Planning agencies are using mixed-use developments to ensure sustainable traffic growth. However, there is no established methodology that optimises land uses and sizes by minimising vehicle trips and maximising person trips. The objective of this research is to develop such a methodology that is adaptable anywhere. The methodology uses a genetic algorithm and stepwise linear regression with Matlab and the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) to obtain equations that can be used to optimise land uses. This methodology reduces vehicle trips noticeably and provides for the ability to add a diverse set of land uses to a development. The equations must be developed on a regional basis. Therefore, regional planners will develop them and traffic consultants will apply them to individual developments. This methodology is unique because it not only minimises vehicle trips to eliminate congestion, it also maximises person trips to optimise economic benefits.