Development of a Novel Framework for the Design of Transport Policies to Achieve Environmental Targets

Computers & Chemical Engineering, 33(10), 1531-1545. doi:10.1016/j.compchemeng.2009.01.010

35 Pages Posted: 22 Dec 2015

See all articles by Araz Taeihagh

Araz Taeihagh

Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore

René Bañares-Alcántara

University of Oxford

Claire Millican

University of Oxford

Date Written: January 10, 2009

Abstract

The formulation of policies requires the selection and configuration of effective and acceptable courses of action to reach explicit goals. A one-size-fits-all policy is unlikely to achieve the desired goals; as a result, the identification of a suite of alternative policies, together with clear indications of their trade-offs, is crucial to accommodate the diversity of stakeholders’ preferences. At present, the formulation of transport policies is done manually; this fact, together with the size of the space of possible policies, results in a large part of that space being left unexplored. A six-step framework to explore the space of alternative transport policies in order to achieve environmental targets is proposed. The process starts with a user-defined set of specific policy measures, using them as building blocks in the generation of alternative policy packages, clusters and future images according to the user’s preferences and goals.

The analysis framework is based on the visioning and backcasting approach used in the VIBAT report (Banister & Hickman, 2006a). The framework is being implemented as a prototype decision support system around a case study: the formulation and analysis of policies required to achieve CO2 emission targets for the transport sector in the UK. Important insights on how to develop the framework have also been elicited from engineering design. The goal is to accelerate the task of policy-making and improve the effectiveness of the resulting policies.

The proposed method and computer implementation is fundamentally different from the tools commonly used in the transport sector and is intended to assist (not replace) transport policy makers, and complement (not substitute nor compete with) existing mathematical modelling tools. This research constitutes the first step towards the development of a general family of computer-based systems that support the design of policies to achieve environmental targets – not only for transport, but also for other sectors such as energy and water.

Keywords: Decision support systems, Process design, Policy design, Transportation, Emission reduction, Conceptual design.

Suggested Citation

Taeihagh, Araz and Bañares-Alcántara, René and Millican, Claire, Development of a Novel Framework for the Design of Transport Policies to Achieve Environmental Targets (January 10, 2009). Computers & Chemical Engineering, 33(10), 1531-1545. doi:10.1016/j.compchemeng.2009.01.010, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2706984

Araz Taeihagh (Contact Author)

Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore ( email )

469B Bukit Timah Road
Li Ka Shing Building, Level 2
Singapore, 259771
Singapore
+65 6601 5254 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://www.taeihagh.com/publications

René Bañares-Alcántara

University of Oxford ( email )

Mansfield Road
Oxford, Oxfordshire OX1 4AU
United Kingdom

Claire Millican

University of Oxford ( email )

Mansfield Road
Oxford, Oxfordshire OX1 4AU
United Kingdom

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