SYNTHESIS OF PAST ACTIVITY ANALYSIS APPLICATIONS

This review describes the emergence of the central ideas within the activity analysis paradigm and their application to travel forecasting. We posit that three interconnected processes of "ideas applications" form the basis of scientific development. The first is conceptualization and theory building. The second is empirical tests and applications: here, we make a distinction between those in which activity patterns are considered as segmentation variables in travel models, and those in which travel is incorporated into activity patterns. The third process is the self-conscious evaluation of the interplay between theory and application: we call this last the "reflexive nexus". We provide examples of studies which demonstrate these processes; most studies emphasize one over the others. This framework places the pathways toward implementing activity-based travel demand forecasting into more of a cyclical, and less of a linear, historical context. One example is given of how all three processes have contributed to a particular model of activity scheduling. We conclude that activity analysis continues to develop within waxing and waning periods of inductive theory construction and deductive theory testing. Extending activity analysis to the realm of travel forecasting should provide intellectually more satisfying forecasting tools and lead to improved theory.

Language

  • English

Media Info

  • Features: References;
  • Pagination: p. 51-77
  • Monograph Title: ACTIVITY-BASED TRAVEL FORECASTING CONFERENCE, NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA, JUNE 2-5, 1996. SUMMARY, RECOMMENDATIONS, AND COMPENDIUM OF PAPERS

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 00750010
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Files: TRIS
  • Created Date: Jun 18 1998 12:00AM