Urban Transportation Research and Advancement Centre, University of Toronto
June 18, 2010, 11:00, Room GC B3 424 (click here for the map)
Spatial and temporal distribution of built-space supply plays an important role in shaping up the urban form and thus the general travel pattern in an urban area. Within integrated framework, we are interested in modelling the decisions of a builder in terms of when, where, what type, and how much of a built-space to build. This talk presents a discrete-continuous model formulation for the built-space supply decisions that are based on expected profit maximization. The framework is applied to estimate a model for supply of new office space in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) for the duration of 1986 to 2006. The results indicates a risk taker behaviour on the builders� part, while market conditions and supply of resources (labour, construction cost etc.) are also found to be important factors in decision making.
Bilal Farooq is a PhD Candidate under the supervision of Professor Eric J. Miller at Urban Transportation Research and Advancement Centre (UTRAC), University of Toronto. He has a Master degree in Computer Science and Bachelor in Engineering. Before starting his PhD, he worked as a software engineer in the software industry. Bilal�s research expertise involves econometric modelling and microsimulation of decision making and interactions in the context of urban systems. He is also interested in demographic evolution, urban energy consumption, and GHG emission/dispersion modelling. Currently, he is working as the software architect of Integrated Land Use Transportation and Environment (ILUTE) modelling framework that is under development at UTRAC.