A Parcel-Based Version of UrbanSim

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UrbanSim can be configured to run at a parcel and building level of spatial detail. The description below is based on the parcel-level UrbanSim configuration that is being used, with some variations, in the metropolitan areas of Detroit, Phoenix, San Francisco, and Seattle, and others in progress.

Significant efforts have been made to generalize and make the OPUS platform highly modular and flexible. One motivation for this was the desire to be able to adapt the model system from the initial gridcell application used in most early UrbanSim applications, to use parcels, or alternatively, zones, as alternative configurations. This effort has now been completed, and we have created both a parcel-level version of the model system documented in this section of the website, as well as a zone-level version of the model system documented in the Zone Model section of the documentation.

Models in the Parcel Version of UrbanSim

Below are the models used in the zone version of UrbanSim. Each model name links to a more detailed description of its objective, algorithm, configuration and data.

Model Name	Abbreviation	Description
Scheduled Development Events Model	SDEM	Handles Scheduled Development Events
Scheduled Employment Events Model	SEEM	Handles Scheduled Employment Events
Real Estate Price Model	REPM	Predicts price per unit for each building
Expected Sales Price Model	ESPM	Predicts sale prices for proposed development projects
Development Proposal Choice Model	DPCM	Predicts which development proposals will be constructed
Building Construction Model	BCM	Constructs selected development projects, using a schedule (velocity function)
HouseholdTransitionModel	HTM	Adds New Households or Removes Households to Match Control Totals
EmploymentTransitionModel	ETM	Adds New Jobs or Removes Jobs to Match Control Totals
HouseholdRelocationModel	HRM	Predicts Households Decision to Relocate Within Region
HouseholdLocationChoiceModel	HLCM	Predicts Location Choices for New or Moving Households
EmploymentRelocationModel	ERM	Predicts Job (Employer) Decision to Relocate Within Region
EmploymentLocationChoiceModel	ELCM	Predicts Location Choices for New or Moving Jobs
Distribute Unplaced Jobs Model	DUJM	Allocates sectors of employment (e.g. Military) proportionally
Refinement Model	RM	Refine simulation results according to user specified conditions

Data Used in the Parcel Version of UrbanSim

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Script to Generate Database

Table Descriptions

Below is a compilation of all the tables used in the parcel version of UrbanSim. Each table name links to a description of the columns within the table. The tables are listed alphabetically.

Table Name	Required	Brief Description
annual_employment_control_totals	Y	Control totals containing the aggregate targets for employment by sector
annual_household_control_totals	Y	Control totals containing the aggregate targets for households by type
annual_relocation_rates_for_households	Y	Annual relocation rates for households by type
annual_job_relocation_rates	Y	Annual relocation rates for jobs by employment sector
buildings	Y	Individual buildings on a parcel
building_sqft_per_job	Y	Non-residential sqft used by each job
building_types	Y	Building types as classified by the user, usually at least 2 residential types and several non-residential types
cities	N	List of cities within the region, primarily for indicators
counties	N	List of counties within the region, primarily for indicators
demolition_cost_per_sqft	Y	Demolition cost per square foot, for redevelopment of existing structures
development_constraints	Y	Regulatory constraints on development, from comprehensive plans or other sources
development_event_history	N	Development projects that have been built over a historical period of (for example) 10 years. Not used in Development Proposal Choice Model
development_project_proposals	Y	Proposals for development projects, either user-specified or simulated
development_templates	Y	User-provided templates describing different types of development projects
development_template_components	Y	Descriptions of components of development templates
employment_adhoc_sector_groups	N	Aggregations of employment sectors into groups such as basic, retail, service
employment_adhoc_sector_group_definitions	N	Definitions (textual) of ad-hoc sector groups
employment_sectors	Y	Employment sectors, defined by the user as aggregations of an industrial classification, e.g. NAICS or SIC
fazes	N	Optional geographic table that provides a zone aggregation, used mainly for indicators
generic_land_use_types	Y	Broad classifications of land uses
home_based_status	Y	Indicator table for jobs that are home-based
household_characteristics_for_ht	Y	Household characteristics used in the Household Transition Model
households	Y	Household data, for socioeconomic and density variables
households_for_estimation	N	Households table used in estimation, from a household survey with recent movers, if available
jobs	Y	Employment data, for accessibility and density variables
jobs_for_estimation	N	Jobs table used in estimation, from sample of newly locating jobs, if available
large_areas	N	Optional higher level geography, aggregations of FAZ geography (user-determined), for indicators
land_use_types	Y	land use types, classification of land use
parcels	Y	Parcels, usually based on property ownership, which may contain 0, 1 or more buildings
persons	N	Optional persons table, used for workplace choice model and activity-based travel model integration
plan_types	Y	Plan types are a composite of development regulations, represented as polygons in a GIS layer
race_names	N	Optional names for race groups defined in the synthetic population
target_vacancies	Y	Structural or target vacancies - trigger development when vacancies fall below this
travel_data	Y	Zone-to-zone skims from the travel model, for accessibility variables
velocity_functions	Y	Velocity functions describe the schedule for development of development projects spanning multiple years
zones	Y	Zones used in the travel model, for accessibility and density variables

-- PaulWaddell - 26 Oct 2009

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