Assessment of the impact on traffic of the opening of the new campus of the University of Turin, ‘Città delle Scienze e dell’Ambiente’ (City of Science and Environment), located in Grugliasco, Metropolitan City of Turin
TRT was chosen by Zona Ovest di Torino srl to provide modelling support in defining the impact of the new campus of the University of Turin, ‘Città delle Scienze e dell’Ambiente’ (City of Science and Environment), in the municipality of Grugliasco.
The new campus includes facilities for the Chemistry and Biology Departments, spaces for research, teaching and ancillary services for students, covering a total of approximately 90.000 m2 and is expected to double the university population (from the current 5,000 to approximately 10,000).
The study begins with the VISUM model developed by TRT on behalf of Zona Ovest and the Municipality of Grugliasco as part of the support assignment for the evaluation of the PGTU, further refining its calibration through a traffic detection campaign.
The macroscopic model was used for the municipal-scale assessment of the opening of the new campus, while the local impact assessment was carried out using a dynamic microscopic simulation model in the VISSIM environment.
The study took into account various data sources, in addition to ad hoc surveys, of a demographic and statistical nature on the student population and university staff involved in the transfer (keeping teachers separate from researchers, research fellows, scholarship holders, technical and administrative staff, etc.) as well as information on the current travel habits of people who already gravitate towards Grugliasco (where the veterinary, agrovet, agricultural and “agrinnova” facilities are located), including modes of transport, weekly campus attendance, the number of years students are behind in their studies, and the location of their domicile or residence.
The analyses carried out have made it possible to identify the configuration and adaptation measures for the road network that are most effective in mitigating the impact of the opening of the university campus.