Comparative Analysis of Modelling Land-Use Transport Interaction at the Micro and Macro Levels

The objective of this paper is to examine the implications of modelling urban systems at the micro and macro levels. The methodological aspects of, and the results from, two models will be considered, namely the MASTER (Micro-Analytical Simulation of Transport, Employment and Residence) model and the LILT (the Leeds Integrated Land-use Transport) model. The MASTER model simulates demographic change, decisions about moving home and changing job, and decisions about transport, such as car ownership, and modal choice for a set of households and their members. The nature of the model permits the analysis of the relationships between household dynamics, car ownership, car availability, and modal choice. The model can identify latent demand for homes and employment, so that the implications of increasing the supply of dwellings and jobs for travel demand, can be traced through these relationships. LILT is an aggregate land-use transport model that was originally based on the Lowry model, but now includes travel demand, plus various other extensions. The models have been applied to the same study-area over the same time-period, so the implications of testing a variety of policies with the two models can be discussed. The focus of this paper is both on the methodological issues and the practical implications of the two approaches, as well as the comparable results from the two models.