Transportation and regional development

This dissertation integrates an input-output model and a transportation network model to evaluate the impact of transportation on the urban economy. The transportation network of the Philadelphia primary metropolitan statistical area is used for the empirical study. The dissertation sheds new light on the study of urban goods movement within the context of a realistic transportation network.; A model that describes both the economy and the transport system is created. Regional demand and supply are estimated by the input-output models. A Philadelphia regional input-output model is created based on regional purchase coefficients, regional export coefficients, and national input-output technical coefficients. A gravity model is used to simulate the passenger and commodity flows through the transportation network to calculate the transportation cost. The transportation cost changes due to transportation improvement will affect the commodity flow patterns and the regional economy. An interregional input-output model is used to determine the industrial and regional impacts of a change in transportation prices. This dissertation shows that a specific transportation investment can have significant impacts on a metropolitan area where a highly developed transportation network is already in place.