GEOG 3LT3

Transportation Geography

Calendar Description

Principles and techniques applied to understanding, predicting and optimizing movement for transportation systems at various geographical scales. Problems arising from movement are also discussed.

Two lectures, one lab (two hours); one term
Prerequisite(s): GEOG 2LI3
 
 
Antirequisite(s): GEO 3HD3

 

Time/Term Offered: Term One Fall 2012-13

Instructor: Dr. Antonio Páez
Room: General Science Building Rm. 236
Tel:(905) 525.9149 x26099
Email: paezha@mcmaster.ca
Office hours: W 9:30 - 10:30

Teaching Assistant:

Chris Higgins

 

Course Outline Avenue to Learn

Introduction:

Transport is concerned with the movement of people and goods over a transportation system. The performance of such systems affects our quality of life and is therefore a subject of study in many disciplines including geography. This performance is a reflection of the relationship between the supply of transportation (i.e., facilities and fleets), which tends to be fixed in the short term, and the demand for people and goods movement. Social, economic, technological and political processes not only condition this relationship, but also are themselves driven by transportation system performance in the long term. The effective management of transportation systems so as not to compromise our quality of life requires foresight, which implies that transportation professionals must have access to analytical methods. These methods are used to study the performance of transportation systems in both the short term and the long term. The results of these studies, especially in the public sector, often inform transportation policy. This course is designed to introduce you to the study of transportation systems from a geographic perspective, with a focus on:

1. Concepts central to the discipline.
2. Analytical methods for describing, analyzing and optimizing transportation systems.
3. Current transportation issues and problems.

The material covered in this course will provide you with a solid foundation for more advanced treatments of the subject. Mathematics is used extensively throughout this course.

Course objectives
At the end of the course, you will:

1. Understand concepts central to the study of transportation systems.
2. Understand how GIS is revolutionizing transportation practice.
3. Be able to solve various transportation problems using analytical methods discussed in class and applied in labs.
4. Understand issues that impact the performance of transportation systems.
5. Be familiar with Microsoft Excel as a problem-solving tool.

Lecture/Labs:

 

Required Text Books/Course materials:

The required text for this course is:
Black, W.R. (2003) Transportation: A Geographical Analysis. New York: Guilford Press.

In addition to it, we will make use of information from four websites:

BTS Bureau of Transportation Statistics: http://www.bts.gov/
JTLU Journal of Transport and Land Use: https://www.jtlu.org/index.php/jtlu/index
EJTIR European Journal of Transport and Infrastructure Research: http://www.ejtir.tbm.tudelft.nl/
GTS The Geography of Transportation Systems: http://people.hofstra.edu/geotrans/index.html

 

Evaluation:

Exercises (5@8 each) 40 %
Midterm Exam 20 %
Final Exam (cumulative) 40 %
Total: 100 %

 

Academic Dishonesty

Academic dishonesty consists of misrepresentation by deception or by other fraudulent means and can result in serious consequences, e.g. the grade of zero on an assignment, loss of credit with a notation on the transcript (notation reads: “Grade of F assigned for academic dishonesty”), and/or suspension or expulsion from the university.

The following illustrates only three forms of academic dishonesty:

  • Plagiarism, e.g. the submission of work that is not one’s own or for which other credit has been obtained.

  • Improper collaboration in group work.

  • Copying or using unauthorized aids in tests and examinations.

It is your responsibility to understand what constitutes academic dishonesty. For information on the various kinds of academic dishonesty please refer to the Academic Integrity Policy, located at http://www.mcmaster.ca/policy/Students-AcademicStudies/AcademicIntegrity.pdf

The University reserves the right to change any aspect of this course outline.

The instructor and university reserve the right to modify elements of the course during the term. The university may change the dates and deadlines for any or all courses in extreme circumstances. If either type of modification becomes necessary, reasonable notice and communication with the students will be given with explanation and the opportunity to comment on changes. It is the responsibility of the student to check their McMaster email and course websites weekly during the term and to note any changes.