Project Number:
09-29
Research Project:
Risks and Recoveries from Extreme Disruptions in Freight Transportation System in a Megacity: Case Study for the Greater Los Angeles Area
P.I. Name & Address:
Jean-Pierre Bardet
University of Southern California
Sonny Astani Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering
3620 S. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90089-2531
Email: bardet@usc.edu
Website: http://www.usc.edu/dept/civil_eng/dept/faculty-staff/faculty-directory/bardet-jean-pierre.htm
Phone: (213) 740-0609
Fax: (213) 740-1426
Co-P.I.
James Moore
University of Southern California
School of Policy, Planning, and Developmemnt
Ralph and Goldy Lewis Hall, Room 321
Los Angeles, CA 90089-0626
Email: jmoore@rcf.usc.edu
Website: http://www-rcf.usc.edu/~jmoore/
Phone: (213) 740-0595
Fax: (213) 740-1426
Petros Ioannou
University of Southern California
Department of Electrical Engineering Systems
Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Building
Los Angeles, CA 90089-2562
Email: ioannou@usc.edu
Website: http://ee.usc.edu/faculty_staff/faculty_directory/ioannou.htm
Phone: (213) 740-4452
Fax: (213) 740-4418
Project Objective:
There are currently 15 megacities in the world, i.e., metropolitan areas having more than 10 million inhabitants. Los Angeles and New York are in this category. Most megacities are exposed to natural hazards such as earthquakes, and when located in coastal regions, are also vulnerable to hurricanes and tsunamis. Megacities have increasingly complicated transportation systems exposed to unprecedented pressures from population growth, energy and environmental impacts, and risks from natural and manmade hazards. Indeed, the transportation systems in megacities have become so complicated that very few organizations can understand their response to extreme events (EE) such as earthquakes, or can effectively mitigate the impacts from EEs. In the aftermath of recent major disasters in the United States such as 9/11 and Katrina, the pressing questions to be addressed for the future of transportation in Megacities are (1) How do complex transportation systems respond to EEs such as earthquakes? (2) How can we improve the recovery time and resiliency of transportation systems in case of major disruptions? (3) How are major stakeholders economically affected by major disruptions to transportation?
Task Descriptions
(1) Definition of Components and Network
(2) Approximation of Worse Case Scenarios Using REDARS2
(3) Detailed Impact Analysis of Worse Case Scenario Using Traffic Flow Simulator
(4) Detailed Impact Analysis for Port Operations
(5) National Impact Analysis for Port Operations
Milestones, Dates:
August 15, 2008 – September 14, 2009
Total Budget:
$90,000
Student Involvement:
One graduate student at 50% effort, 9 months
Relationship to Other Research Projects:
Related to 08-13; part of the safety, security, and vulnerability focus area
Technology Transfer Activities:
Project report will be posted soon
Potential Benefits of the Project:
This research will provide a greater understanding of how transportation systems respond to extreme events, how stakeholders are affected by such disruptions and how the resiliency and recovery time of these systems can be improved.
TRB Keywords:
Freight, megacity, environmental impacts, extreme events
