Computer modelling of traffic and emission impacts of a large, mixed use development: The case of the prospective Burlington Innovation District (BID)

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Increasingly, firms are concerned with the environmental implications of their activities. The locations they choose for these activities affect the mode choices that employees must make to go to and from work and for other trips during the work day. In the case of a concentrated new development such as an innovation district, the environmental impacts over thousands of employees can be very significant. The thrust of the proposed research is to mathematically assess the transportation and emission impacts of a large, mixed use development such as an innovation district and to consider these impacts over a range of development scenarios. The research proposed will provide concrete modelled data and a simulation tool to aid in the thoughtful and successful development of Innovation Districts in other Canadian cities (a platform methodology) as well as for the particular case for this research which is Burlington, Ontario. The industrial partner for this important research is Colliers International, Canada's largest commercial real estate services company. Colliers expects to benefit from the proposed research via an enhanced understanding of transportation and environmental impacts for innovation districts. These new insights will help Colliers serve their clients better. The new platform methodology to be developed will ultimately lead to improved commercial real estate decisions for the firm, potentially all over Canada, thus enhancing their growth and penetration into the Canadian market.