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. / Ph. D.