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PennX: Urban Transit for Livable Cities

4.4 stars
7 ratings

City livability depends on urban transit. Learn about transit systems and their critical role for the character of cities and quality of life.

Urban Transit for Livable Cities
8 weeks
3–6 hours per week
Self-paced
Progress at your own speed
Free
Optional upgrade available

There is one session available:

After a course session ends, it will be archivedOpens in a new tab.
Starts Mar 19

About this course

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The goal of urban transit is to achieve an intermodal transportation balance. Ideally, each mode is used in its optimal role, in order to create a people-friendly environment. But how exactly can that be accomplished?

This course will cover examples from different cities and countries; comparing their physical characteristics, transportation policies, and evaluations of their strengths and weaknesses. Learners interested in transportation engineering and city planning will gain expert insight into the critical role transit services have on the character of the city and quality of life.

Urban Transit is designed for transportation engineers, city planners, and general city planning enthusiasts. It’s also well-suited for graduate and advanced undergraduate students of transportation, civil, environmental, mechanical, electrical and systems engineering, business administration, economics, and architecture.

The course is taught by Vukan R. Vuchic, PhD, Emeritus Professor of Transportation Systems Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Vuchic has consulted on cities for government agencies and locations around the world.

At a glance

  • Institution: PennX
  • Subject: Engineering
  • Level: Intermediate
  • Prerequisites:

    Prior courses in engineering, city planning, business, and economics. Professional experience in city government or transit agencies is recommended, but not required.

  • Language: English
  • Video Transcript: English
  • Associated skills:Business Administration, Economics, Transport Engineering, Systems Engineering

What you'll learn

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  • Understand technical and operational characteristics of transit systems
  • Review efficient operations of bus and rail transit modes
  • Explore role and impact of bus, transit, and rail on a city’s livability
  • Describe policies to create balance between transit, cars, and pedestrians and other modes

Course Outline

  • Week 1 - Cities and Transportation: Evolution of Transport Modes
  • Week 2 - Highway Transit: Buses, Trolleybuses, BRT/BHLS and Paratransit
  • Week 3 - Rail Transit: Tramways/Streetcars, LRT, Metro, Regional Rail
  • Week 4 - Rail Transit Infrastructure, Operations and Roles
  • Week 5 - Rail Transit Network, Scheduling and Performance
  • Week 6 - Fares, Financing, Ownership and Regulation
  • Week 7 - Transit Planning, Mode Selection and Design
  • Week 8 - Transportation for Livable Cities: Policies and Implementation Measures

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