It happens every day

Imagine that you're walking across campus from the auditorium to Morrill Hall. You pass Giltner Hall, the Natural Science Building, walk down the sidewalk towards East Circle Drive -- and come to the field behind Old Horticulture. Now, you're faced with a choice. You can:
  1. continue along the sidewalk, turn left at East Circle Drive, and follow the road to Morrill Hall, or you can
  2. cut across the field and make a straight shot for Morrill.
There are costs and benefits associated with each path. On path a., you realize the full benefit of walking on flat, smooth pavement, but at the cost of going out of your way. Path b. allows you to head straight for your destination, but at the cost of crossing grassy ground. Which path provides the most attractive tradeoff?

This is an economic decision that many people make every day, all over the campus of Michigan State University. The ways that pedestrians make this cost/benefit analysis and the conclusions that they come to are important for MSU's campus planners to understand, especially as they begin to implement the new 2020 Vision plan.

But where to begin? >>
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On the Beaten Path
Robin Sloan, EC499
sloanro1@msu.edu