Computational Modeling and Analysis in Transportation System Designs

Systems Conversation with Geoff Boeing, Northeastern University

Human movement throughout cities is largely constrained to pre-designed spatial networks that embody values of power, aesthetics, and prevailing technology. The quality of urban spaces—and for whom these spaces perform—rests upon these outcomes of urban design and architecture. Although circulation networks critically underlie city mobility and human dynamics, it can be difficult to acquire and consistently analyze high-quality network data. This talk presents new urban/ geospatial data science methods to explore city spatial structure and circulation worldwide—including in developing countries. It considers how to understand urban equity, resilience, accessibility, and human mobility using open-source software and collaboratively-generated, free data. Finally, it introduces several tools and methods to understand, visualize, re-think, and communicate complicated urban patterns and spatial outcomes.