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UrbanSim Parcel Version
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 Documentation.Zone/WebHome section of the documentation.
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 |
| Work-at-home Choice Model | WAHCM | Models whether a worker primarily work from home |
| Workplace Choice Model | WCM | Models workplace for out-of-home workers |
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_household_relocation_rates | Y | Annual relocation rates for households by category |
| 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 |
Scheduled Development Events Model (SDEM)
The Scheduled Development Events Model (SDEM) handles development events (projects) that are scheduled to happen in specified simulation years.
It modifies the buildings table according to specified action of each events in the scheduled_development_events table. See the sample scheduled_development_events table below for actions that are supported.
urbansim.models.scheduled_events_model
The configuration of the SDEM in the zone model system is summarized in the following table:
| Element | Setting |
| Dataset | Buildings |
| Model Type | User specified, deterministic |
scheduled_development_events table is used by the Scheduled Development Events Model. Below is a sample scheduled_development_events table that demonstrates the functions of scheduled_development_events_model. The optional __notes__ column explains what each event does. Column year, action, attribute, and amount is required; users can remove one or all columns building_id, zone_id,building_type_id or add extra columns that are primary or computed attributes of building dataset.
| year | action | attribute | amount | building_id | zone_id | building_type_id | *__notes__* |
| 2010 | add_value | residential_units | 5000 | 1009 | -1 | -1 | add 5000 residential_units to building 1009 |
| 2010 | subtract_value | non_residential_sqft | 100000 | 1009 | -1 | -1 | reduce 100000 non_residential_sqft from building_id 1009 |
| 2011 | set_value | residential_units_capacity | 10000 | 7002 | -1 | -1 | set the residential_unit_capacity to 10000 for building 7002 |
| 2011 | multiply_value | average_value_per_unit | 1.2 | -1 | 700 | -1 | multiply the average_value_per_unit by 1.2 for all buildings in zone 700 |