Smarter Roads, Smarter Cars, Smarter Growth?
(2020)
Can our region maintain its dynamic economy and quality of life if the future promises inexorable traffic gridlock? We address the gridlock part of this question by creating scenarios of possible futures that address congestion in various ways. The prospect of autonomous vehicles sharply differentiates these scenarios. We assess policies that do very little, that add new tolled roads, or that assume smarter growth patterns. We analyze their impacts on population location, travel patterns, transit ridership, and greenhouse gases. We develop policy recommendations that are generally robust or that are contingent on specific outcomes. You’ll find that some of these options differ from ones currently being considered.
Engaging the future: Baltimore - Washington 2040
(2018)
Numerous forces will disrupt our future in the region. At the least, changes in technology and energy costs and in how we address these ensure some unpredictability. One way to plan for uncertainty is to create plausible future scenarios and assess their impacts. PRESTO creates four distinct scenarios for the Baltimore-Washington region, each very different than a simple continuation of current trends, policies and forces. PRESTO’s interconnected models test the impact of these scenarios on a range of quality of life factors. None of these impacts are inevitable. But identifying them can spur strategies and policies that produce a more resilient and sustainable future for the region.