Steer Davies Gleave develops an Urban Dynamic Model

Transport and land use models are considered large, expensive beasts that take ages to run and deliver answers that have to be interpreted by experts, but that is not necessarily true. Steer Davies Gleave has developed an online version of our Urban and Regional Dynamic Models (UDM & RDM) that is adaptable, easy to use and runs in seconds. The UDM was built to help answer big questions about how to invest in major infrastructure like transport, housing or commercial development to best support the economy of a town, city or region. 

You can try our UDM model on the model website.
(For best results, use a full-sized PC screen – not a smartphone – and a modern browser, like Chrome, Firefox, Edge or Safari.)

Technically, this is an advance that sets the UDM/RDM apart. It was developed under our Research and Innovation programme, partly to see if sophisticated modelling tools could be put online, but also to open up the market for using simulation to support policy development. Because it is relatively low-cost to set up, with an interface that can be adapted to suit any local circumstances, we believe this online model will appeal to planners in towns, cities, regions, LEPs and any other bodies interested in developing long-term transport and planning policy. It can even be used as a consultation tool: why not let your local citizens try to develop successful policies themselves?

For more information please contact John Swanson or use the contact page on the model’s website.