Transport models are frequently applied in the context of policy analysis. Traditionally, the main purposes of application have been the prediction of future demand, policy appraisal and the design or optimization of policy interventions. A growing field of applications is the exploration of the impact of innovations. Typically, traditional transport models perform poorly when it comes to the complex dynamics of multi-actor economic processes, while these determine the adoption and scaling of innovations, to achieve societal impact at large. All too often, innovations are modelled as if they would leave routine transport processes untouched, usually as mere reductions in transport times or costs. This approach neglects the necessary reorganization of many processes in the transport system and often leads to exaggerated predictions of impacts. In this chapter we introduce a new modelling paradigm that aims to fill this gap, by representing transport systems as business ecosystems. Our scope of applications in this paper is limited to freight transport, but the reasoning is generic and can be extended to systems for passenger transport, or combined passenger/freight systems. We explain the antecedents of the paradigm, propose an approach for its implementation using agent based modelling, and demonstrate it with a practical application in the area of urban freight transport. The chapter is built up as follows. Section 1 introduces the topic, including the typical innovations in freight transport that are the subject of contemporary modelling studies. Section 2 describes the business ecosystems approach as positive lens for modelling innovations, also linking the approach to the normative theory of transition management. Section 3 operationalizes the approach for the domain of innovations in urban freight transport and provides examples of applications using agent based models. Section 4 discusses the implications for practitioners and researchers, in terms of a development agenda for models, data and the organization of impact assessment studies. Section 5 concludes the chapter by summarizing the main lines of our approach.

Modelling innovations in freight transport: A business ecosystem perspective / Zenezini, G.; Tavasszy, L. A. - In: Innovations in TransportELETTRONICO. - [s.l] : Edward Elgar Publishing, 2022. - ISBN 9781800373365. - pp. 35-67 [10.4337/9781800373372.00009]

Modelling innovations in freight transport: A business ecosystem perspective

Zenezini G.;
2022

Abstract

Transport models are frequently applied in the context of policy analysis. Traditionally, the main purposes of application have been the prediction of future demand, policy appraisal and the design or optimization of policy interventions. A growing field of applications is the exploration of the impact of innovations. Typically, traditional transport models perform poorly when it comes to the complex dynamics of multi-actor economic processes, while these determine the adoption and scaling of innovations, to achieve societal impact at large. All too often, innovations are modelled as if they would leave routine transport processes untouched, usually as mere reductions in transport times or costs. This approach neglects the necessary reorganization of many processes in the transport system and often leads to exaggerated predictions of impacts. In this chapter we introduce a new modelling paradigm that aims to fill this gap, by representing transport systems as business ecosystems. Our scope of applications in this paper is limited to freight transport, but the reasoning is generic and can be extended to systems for passenger transport, or combined passenger/freight systems. We explain the antecedents of the paradigm, propose an approach for its implementation using agent based modelling, and demonstrate it with a practical application in the area of urban freight transport. The chapter is built up as follows. Section 1 introduces the topic, including the typical innovations in freight transport that are the subject of contemporary modelling studies. Section 2 describes the business ecosystems approach as positive lens for modelling innovations, also linking the approach to the normative theory of transition management. Section 3 operationalizes the approach for the domain of innovations in urban freight transport and provides examples of applications using agent based models. Section 4 discusses the implications for practitioners and researchers, in terms of a development agenda for models, data and the organization of impact assessment studies. Section 5 concludes the chapter by summarizing the main lines of our approach.
2022
9781800373365
Innovations in Transport
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11583/2996443