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Scientific Papers

Vol. 20 (2018): Special Issue

Historical Evolution of Urban Transportation Demand Modeling in Costa Rica

DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15517/xndpcr76
Submitted
November 14, 2025
Published
2025-11-14

Abstract

The following article describes the historical evolution of urban transportation demand modeling in Costa Rica, including the first international urban transportation demand modeling study, developed in Chicago in the sixties, on which the methodology used in all subsequent studies in Costa Rica is based. Urban transportation demand modeling in Costa Rica has evolved according to the different needs and technological changes that have occurred in the field of urban planning, however, its methodological bases have not changed significantly. The first urban transportation demand modeling study in Costa Rica, named “Transportation Study for the Great Metropolitan Area of San José” (ETAMSJ), was developed in 1973-1976 by a consortium of two international, U.S. based companies: “Allan M. Vorhees & Associates Inc.” and “PADCO Inc.”. Subsequently, two urban demand transportation studies were developed by national consultants: “Urban Transportation Study for the Great Metropolitan Area” (ETUGAM) in 1989, for which a modeling tool called “Integrated System of Transportation Analysis for the Great Metropolitan Area” (SIATGAM) was developed, and “GMA Transportation Supply and Demand Study” was developed as part of the “Regional Urban Planning for the GMA of Costa Rica” (PRUGAM) in 2007. The “GMA Urban Transportation Demand Modeling” (MDT-UCR) project began in 2016, conceived as a research project of the University of Costa Rica. Its development is based on a partnership between the Civil Engineering School (EIC) and the National Laboratory of Testing Materials and Structural Models (LanammeUCR). The goal of the project is to be able to have a completely functional and up to date urban demand transportation analysis tool, to be used for the particular characteristic of the GMA of Costa Rica, while simultaneously strengthening the future technical knowledge and capabilities of Civil Engineering students from the University of Costa Rica. The following article was developed as part of the MDT-UCR project and seeks to provide a historical context through which the importance both of planning through demand modeling, and of keeping the databases up to date, is highlighted.

References

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