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177 Using Activity- Based Models for Policy Decision Making Erik E. Sabina, Denver Regional Council of Governments Thomas Rossi, Cambridge Systematics, Inc. Metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) arefaced with a variety of planning and policy ini-tiatives for which information on travel demand is required. The Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) is the MPO for the rapidly growing Denver area, which has developed a comprehensive planning process to deal with the issues confronting the areaâs residents, work- ers, and visitors. The regional planning process in the Denver area begins with the plan known as MetroVision, which provides the overall framework within which are devel- oped other key MPO planning elements such as the Regional Transportation Plan, the Transportation Improvement Program, and the Air Quality Confor- mity analysis. As DRCOG began the design of a new regional modeling system, and given that initial project planning suggested that DRCOG should focus its efforts on the next generation of tourâactivity model- ing systems, DRCOG management essentially charged the project team to answer the question âWhat good are these models? Can they better support regional planning, and if so, how?â MetroVision is composed of six core elements, intended to guide the regional planning process: ⢠Extent of urban development: promoting a more orderly, compact pattern of development; ⢠Semi- urban development: minimizing the extent of low- density, large lot development; ⢠Urban centers: encouraging the development of higher- density, mixed- use, transit- and pedestrian- oriented centers throughout the region; ⢠Freestanding communities: maintaining as self- sufficient communities several towns currently separate from the larger urban area; ⢠Balanced, multi modal transportation system: pro- viding environmentally sensitive and efficient mobility choices for people and goods; and ⢠Environmental quality: establishing a permanent, integrated parks and open space system, and preserving the regionâs air, water, and noise environments. INTEGRATED REGIONAL MODEL VISION PHASE To ensure that the new model developed for the Denver region would address MetroVision and the plans devel- oped under its umbrella, DRCOG conducted the Inte- grated Regional Model (IRM) vision phase, which involved evaluation of other advanced modeling projects throughout North America and Europe, together with the convening of panels of modeling experts, regional engi- neers and planners, and regional policy makers who pro- vided overall project guidance. These steps ensured that the model design would be informed by the latest practical efforts in model design and implementation, and, most importantly, by the modelâs ultimate customers, those in the DRCOG region who will use the results. During the IRM vision phase, the policy panel devel- oped a list of the top 10 core planning issues that the travel demand model needs to support: 1. Effects of development patterns on travel behavior; 2. Sensitivity to price and behavioral changes;