The purpose of this research is to develop a conception of a transportation system
called AVCS maglev which is the synergistic combination of two promising concepts,
AVCS and Maglev, and to assess its potential as a transportation strategy to cope with
the forthcoming challenge of the mobility, safety, environmental protection, and
economic growth of the United States. The emphases are put on investigating suitable
technological aspects, selecting suitable operational control concepts, assessing
economic viability, and determining socioeconomic impacts of the system. Also, the
National Development Model (NDM) is developed and analyzed to obtain a deeper
understanding of the rational policy formation about the U.S. SOCioeconomic
development of the next century, based on the premise that development means
improving both quantity of life and quality of life. NDM is organized into six sectors: (1)
Industrial Sector, (2) Environmental Sector, (3) Infrastructure Sector, (4) Social
Development Sector, (5) Demographic Sector, and (6) Employment Sector. Four policy
alternatives are identified, based on the key issues relevant to the future development
patterns, and analyzed by computer simulation: (1) Social Development Policy, (2)
Industrial Development Policy, (3) Infrastructure Development Policy, and (4)
Environmental Protection Policy.
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