Optimizing Canada's transportation system for global competitiveness

空间经济系统和交通系统直接相互依存。一个国家的运输系统可以被视为该国家经济的物理表现：个人活动模式和商业运营创造了客运和货运需求，从而导致汽车、卡车和铁路的流动。同时，运输系统的表现影响经济的空间组织，例如通过家庭和公司的位置选择以及贸易和旅行模式。因此，经济系统通过其生产的活动影响交通系统，而交通系统通过其提供的可达性来影响经济系统。因此，加拿大运输系统的表现是其经济和全球竞争力的关键组成部分。 空间经济和交通相互作用(SETI)模型被用来评估交通基础设施备选方案的经济影响。在城市、区域和国家尺度上采取了各种方法，如土地利用运输相互作用(LUTI)模型和基于随机效用的多区域投入产出(RUBMRIO)模型。面向交通的空间可计算一般均衡(SCGE)模型是目前国家层面上最完整的经济模拟工具，因为它们综合地模拟了整个经济、各部分之间的相互依存关系以及这些部分内部的微观经济行为。 拟议的研究计划将开发一个具有本质不同侧重点的SETI建模框架。除了评估未来的交通基础设施替代方案外，还将建立一个加拿大建模平台，智能地确定基础设施投资将在哪里为加拿大经济带来最大好处。为了解决当前建模方法的局限性并开发模型的智能行为，需要进行几项创新。该提案详细描述了这些创新和其他有益的创新。完整的建模平台将使加拿大在SETI建模方面达到并超越最先进的水平。 实际上，这项研究有望改善对旨在改善加拿大经济和全球竞争力的交通项目和政策的科学和工程投入。在学术上，这项研究有望在理解和建模交通和经济互动方面建立及时的、创新的和变革性的联系。

Spatial economic and transport systems are directly interdependent. The transportation system of a given country can be viewed as a physical representation of that country's economy: individual activity patterns and business operations create passenger and freight demands that result in car, truck, and rail movements. Simultaneously, the performance of the transportation system affects the spatial organization of the economy, for example through household and firm location choices, as well as trade and travel patterns. Therefore, economic systems impact transportation systems by the activities they produce, while transportation systems impact economic systems by the accessibility they provide. Hence, the performance of Canada's transportation system is a critical component of its economy and global competitiveness. Spatial Economic and Transportation Interaction (SETI) models are used to evaluate the economic impacts of transportation infrastructure alternatives. Various methodological approaches have been taken at the urban, regional, and national scales, such as Land Use Transportation Interaction (LUTI) models and Random-Utility-Based Multi-Regional Input-Output (RUBMRIO) models. Transport-oriented Spatial Computable General Equilibrium (SCGE) models are currently the most complete economic simulation tool at the national level because they comprehensively model the entire economy, the inter-dependency between all of its parts, and the microeconomic behavior within these parts. The proposed research program will develop a SETI modelling framework with an essentially different focus. In addition to evaluating prospective transportation infrastructure alternatives, a Canadian modelling platform will be built that intelligently determines where infrastructure investments would provide the greatest benefit to the Canadian economy. Several innovations are required to address the limitations of current modelling approaches and to develop the model's intelligent behaviour. The proposal describes these and other contributing innovations in detail. The complete modelling platform will bring Canada to and beyond the state-of-the-art in SETI modelling. Practically, this research is expected to improve the scientific and engineering input into transportation projects and policies aimed at improving Canada's economy and global competitiveness. Academically, this research is expected to make timely, innovative, and transformative connections in the understanding and modelling of transportation and economic interactions.