Transportation networks in dynamic urban structures: a quantitative spatial economics approach

This two-year research project, conducted in collaboration with the Corvinus Institute for Advanced Studies (CIAS) and funded by the *Excellence\_24* programme of the National Research, Development and Innovation Office of Hungary, aims to develop advanced general equilibrium models by integrating the analytical frameworks of quantitative spatial economics (QSE) with cutting-edge methods from transport science. The mission of the project is to produce a novel, interdisciplinary modelling framework capable of assessing the complex interactions between transportation systems, urban spatial structures, and economic outcomes. Its vision is to contribute to evidence-based policy design by creating robust, data-driven tools that better capture the full welfare implications of large-scale transport interventions. The project’s goals include improving the precision of causal inference in spatial models, enhancing the realism of transport representations within economic frameworks, and offering a general equilibrium alternative to conventional cost-benefit analysis in infrastructure planning.

The research addresses critical real-world policy challenges such as the optimisation of public transport supply in a post-pandemic world, the fiscal transition to electric vehicle infrastructure, and the economic evaluation of major infrastructure investments. Using a combination of theoretical innovation and empirical calibration, the project applies its modelling tools to real urban contexts, including London, Budapest, and major Hungarian cities. In the Budapest case, the inclusion of high-resolution smartphone location data enables the integration of both commuting and non-commuting mobility into the analysis. By designing model structures that ensure causal interpretability and invertibility, the project seeks to quantify the effects of spatial fundamentals—such as local amenities and productivity-related geographic characteristics—that are typically elusive in empirical studies. Ultimately, the research aspires to advance the state of the art in spatial economic modelling while fostering interdisciplinary dialogue among economists, transport engineers, and urban planners.