Mobility of the future : typologizing global cities for the simulation of future urban mobility patterns and energy scenarios

Abstract

The MITEI-sponsored Mobility of the Future project sets out to create a viable framework for analyses and predictions of urban transportation behavior in response to inevitable changes such as improved vehicle technologies, emergence of novel transit services, and policy changes motivated by population growth and emission control. In order to feasibly simulate these scenarios on a global scale, we need to first determine a few prototypical cities that best represent the entire world, each exhibiting qualities that encompass the group to which it belongs. Our methodology for accomplishing this is centered around machine learning. After collecting and pruning relevant, up-to-date data, we perform dimension reduction and clustering to ultimately generate appropriate prototype cities. These cities will be used as test beds for future mobility scenario exploration and analyses.