LUCI Land Use in Central Indiana Model and the Relationships of Public Infrastructure to Urban Development

Abstract

New urban development creates a need for additional public infrastructure, including improved transportation facilities and extended water and sewer utility services. At the same time, the provision of new public infrastructure can significantly affect the urban development patterns. Plans for public infrastructure must take into account both future urban development patterns and the effects of those plans on those future patterns. The Land Use in Central Indiana (LUCI) model simulates future urban development for a large region. The model generates alternative development scenarios incorporating different policy choices and assumptions about future development. These include choices about the provision of public infrastructure and the effects of such infrastructure on urban development. LUCI thus serves as a tool that can help people understand complex relationships between urban development and the provision of public infrastructure.