72763 - Infrastructure Systems

Academic Year 2020/2021

Learning outcomes

The main goals of this course are: (i) to review and explain the theoretical foundations of methods that are necessary to understand, apply and evaluate the various scientific and technological approaches which claim to improve the sustainability of transportation; (ii) to present examples of the aforementioned approaches such as alternative fuels and propulsion methods, innovative transport systems, and various taxation schemes to include external costs and attempts to change awareness. A main purpose is to make students capable to analyzing critically the potential of new approaches to sustainable transportation, rather than to give a complete coverage of all known methods proposed to date. The student knows how to study the problems related with the vulnerability of road infrastructures, the risk analysis of in-ground constructions, the verification of existing roads and the design of new roads. He is also able to prepare maintenance plans and safety plans for roads and galleries.

Course contents

Sustainable Transportation Engineering (STE)” module:

  • Overview: What is sustainable transportation engineering and why it is needed.

  • Vehicles: theory of movement, dynamics, energy consumption, queues and flows of vehicles

  • Transport networks: basic models of flow-based transport networks

  • Transport demand: Direct and model based estimation of the transport demand

  • Transport impact analysis: energy consumption, simple models of environmental impacts (pollutants, noise, space), analysis of economical impacts (internal/external costs, CBA) and social impacts (accessibility, accidents)

  • Sustainable transport planning: practical procedures for planning on city-level (transport oriented planning, transport scenario building and evaluation, SUMP), local-level (local networks, intermodal hubs, traffic reduction, car-free area, shared-space) and street-level (functional street classification, measures in favor of active modes like bikes and pedestrians)

  • Performance analysis of new public transport technologies: electrification and automation are two technology drivers which will change the performance of public transport in terms of energy consumption, ride comfort, personal safety and personal health (Metrotranvia, Bus Rapid transit, APM, Group Rapid Transit, Personal Rapid Transit, veicoli autonomi condivisi).

  • Case studies: New towns like Copenhagen (Denmark),Barcelona (Spagna), Vauban (Freiburg, Germany) or Masdar city (Abu Dhabi, UEA) have achieved an extraordinary high level of sustainability and quality of life. Can these relatively small towns be scaled up to city level?


Uncertainty and Risk in Transportation Systems (URTS)” module:

  • SUMP for the improvement of urban spaces

  • Infrastructure for urban transport systems TPL

  • Design of urban intermodal nodes

  • Road safety in urban areas with particular attention to vulnerable road users

  • Traffic calmming techniques

  • Road Safety Review

  • Road pavement in urban areas and road maintenance

  • National and local cycle and pedestrian paths

Readings/Bibliography

Sustainable Transportation Engineering (STE)” module:

On-line Class notes.


E. Cascetta. Transportation systems engineering: theory and methods. Kluwer
Academic Publisher, Boston/Dordrecht/London, 2001. (Italian version available).

WHO.Particulate matter, ozone and nitrogen dioxide.
Technical report, World Health Organization, Bonn, Germany,2003.
www.euro.who.int/document/e79097.pdf.


“Uncertainty and Risk in Transportation Systems (URTS)” module:

European Platform on Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans. Guidelines for developing and implementing a sustainable urban mobility plan. 2019

International Transport Forum. Monitoring Progres in Urban Road Safety. 2020

Emilia Romagna Region. Guidelines for the regional cycling system (Law no. 10/2017) in coordination with the Integrated Life Project Prepair

Directive 2008/96/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 November 2008 on Road Infrastructure Safety Management

Directive 2004/54/EC f the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 on minimum safety requirements for tunnels in the Trans-European Road Network.



Teaching methods

The Sustainable Transportation Engineering (STE) module relies on the following teaching methods:
1.) Lecture, 3h per week.
2.) Exercises, 1h per week.
3.) Extensive lecture notes, available on-line.
4.) Practical transport planning exercise (if possible with computer simulations).

Uncertainty and Risk in Transportation Systems (URTS) module:

Class notes



Assessment methods

Assessment methods of the Sustainable Transportation Engineering (STE) module:

The exam consists in a written test with the following rules:

  • There will be 3 problems to be answered by written in 2 hours.

  • The first problem is a collection of multiple choice questions/answers, covering the material of the entire course. Each question has one or more correct answers.
    Correctly ticked answers will result in one point, incorrectly ticked answer will result in minus half a point. The minimum of the multiple choice problem is zero points the maximum is 8 points.

  • The remaining two problems will be calculations, covering the subjects of the exercises.
    The maximum points can only be obtained if all results are correct. Usually problems are divided into sub-problems where the number of points for each sub-problem is indicated.

  • Allowed is a non-programmable pocket calculator and one sheet with hand-written notes (front and rear side can both be used).

  • Before the exam, the the planning exercise must be completed and evaluated. The mark of the planning exercise will be a part of the overall mark.


Assessment methods of the Uncertainty and Risk in Transportation Systems (URTS) module:
Oral examination

The total points of the integrated course Infrastructure systems is composed of 2/3 from the STE exam and 1/3 from the URTS exam.

Teaching tools

A notebook is recommended for downloading and viewing lecture notes and possibly perform simulations.

Office hours

See the website of Joerg Schweizer

See the website of Claudio Lantieri

SDGs

Affordable and clean energy Industry, innovation and infrastructure Sustainable cities Climate Action

This teaching activity contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN 2030 Agenda.