The Advantage of Activity-based Modelling for Air-quality Purposes: Theory vs Practice and Future Needs

Abstract

Activity-based modelling treats travel demand as derived from the demand for activities. This approach has important advantages for emissions and air-quality analyses. An ideal activity-based model will describe the chain of activities in which each person in the household is involved during the day. The information on an activity includes the location, start and end times, mode of travel and travel time. Such a model, together with a traffic micro-simulation application, can provide perhaps the best information needed for an analysis and evaluation of emissions and air-quality benefits of transportation control measures. The article describes the advantages of activity-based modelling for emissions and air-quality analysis and evaluates the feasibility of practical applications to provide this type of benefits. The first application of an activity-based model in the USA is examined. Its advantages for emissions and air-quality analyses are evaluated against the traditional four-step model and with ideal activity based models.