"Census microdata are the confidential records of specific individuals and housing units from whom Decennial Census or American Community Survey responses have been obtained. The U.S. Census Bureau also draws a sample from the full set of microdata and makes these sampled records available in the Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) data products, so that users can develop their own tabulations. These data are being used by state departments of transportation (DOTs) and metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) for studies, such as analyses of the commuting characteristics of population subgroups, and for supporting travel demand model and land use models."--Preface

In most planning practice and research, planners work with quantitative data. By summarizing, analyzing, and presenting data, planners create stories and narratives that explain various planning issues. Particularly, in the era of big data and data mining, there is a stronger demand in planning practice and research to increase capacity for data-driven storytelling. Basic Quantitative Research Methods for Urban Planners provides readers with comprehensive knowledge and hands-on techniques for a variety of quantitative research studies, from descriptive statistics to commonly used inferential statistics. It covers statistical methods from chi-square through logistic regression and also quasi-experimental studies. At the same time, the book provides fundamental knowledge about research in general, such as planning data sources and uses, conceptual frameworks, and technical writing. The book presents relatively complex material in the simplest and clearest way possible, and through the use of real world planning examples, makes the theoretical and abstract content of each chapter as tangible as possible. It will be invaluable to students and novice researchers from planning programs, intermediate researchers who want to branch out methodologically, practicing planners who need to conduct basic analyses with planning data, and anyone who consumes the research of others and needs to judge its validity and reliability.

A multi-disciplinary approach to transportation planning fundamentals The Transportation Planning Handbook is a comprehensive, practice-oriented reference that presents the fundamental concepts of transportation planning alongside proven techniques. This new fourth edition is more strongly focused on serving the needs of all users, the role of safety in the planning process, and transportation planning in the context of societal concerns, including the development of more sustainable transportation solutions. The content structure has been redesigned with a new format that promotes a more functionally driven multimodal approach to planning, design, and implementation, including guidance toward the latest tools and technology. The material has been updated to reflect the latest changes to major transportation resources such as the HCM, MUTCD, HSM, and more, including the most current ADA accessibility regulations. Transportation planning has historically followed the rational planning model of defining objectives, identifying problems, generating and evaluating alternatives, and developing plans. Planners are increasingly expected to adopt a more multi-disciplinary approach, especially in light of the rising importance of sustainability and environmental concerns. This book presents the fundamentals of transportation planning in a multidisciplinary context, giving readers a practical reference for day-to-day answers. Serve the needs of all users Incorporate safety into the planning process Examine the latest transportation planning software packages Get up to date on the latest standards, recommendations, and codes Developed by The Institute of Transportation Engineers, this book is the culmination of over seventy years of transportation planning solutions, fully updated to reflect the needs of a changing society. For a comprehensive guide with practical answers, The Transportation Planning Handbook is an essential reference.

Census data provide a rich range of socioeconomic characteristics from which it is shown that trip characteristics can be simulated. This report summarizes research into the simulation of the trips and trip characteristics for a random sample of households drawn from census data. The simulation source is the 1990 Public Use Micro-data Sample (PUMS) data from the 1990 Decennial Census of the United States. A set of categories is defined for the simulation that allows the development of significantly different statistical distributions of trip characteristics, using the 1995 Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey (NPTS) data. Based on the census data, samples of households are obtained and their trip characteristics in terms of number of trips by purpose, mode, time of departure, and trip length are simulated, using a Monte Carlo type of simulation procedure. This is performed for three regions: Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas; and Salt Lake City, Utah.