scholarly journals Equity-oriented Criteria for Project Prioritization in Regional Transportation Planning

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agustina Krapp ◽  
Jesus Barajas ◽  
Audrey Wennink
Keyword(s):  
Transportation Planning ◽  
People Of Color ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Structural Racism ◽  
Improvement Program ◽  
Metropolitan Planning Organizations ◽  
Transportation Projects ◽  
Planning Organizations ◽  
Planning Processes ◽  
Equity Evaluation

Transportation inequities, consequences of decades of auto-oriented planning alongside discriminatory land-use and transportation planning and policy decisions resulting from structural racism, severely impact opportunities for people of color and other marginalized populations. While a growing body of work has examined inequities with respect to long-range transportation planning, less research examines how equity is incorporated in short-term planning processes via the Transportation Improvement Program. This research reviewed how the metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) that serve the 40 largest US urbanized areas used equity-based criteria for transportation project prioritization in regional planning. Just over half deployed at least one equity criterion for allocating transportation funds, which fell into one of six categories with varying degrees of complexity and potential for impact. While most MPOs included equity in their prioritization criteria, the methods could be improved to better align with more complete definitions of transportation equity, focusing on how targeted groups are defined, more comprehensive methods for equity evaluation, and an increase in the weight that equity is given in prioritization. MPOs and other agencies implementing transportation projects should adopt a justice-oriented framework for project prioritization that ensures that projects first affirmatively remedy historical inequities and work with affected communities to adopt appropriate and meaningful solutions

scholarly journals Equity-Oriented Criteria for Project Prioritization in Regional Transportation Planning

2021 ◽  
pp. 036119812110010
Author(s):  
Agustina Krapp ◽  
Jesus M. Barajas ◽  
Audrey Wennink
Keyword(s):  
Transportation Planning ◽  
People Of Color ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Structural Racism ◽  
Improvement Program ◽  
Metropolitan Planning Organizations ◽  
Transportation Projects ◽  
Planning Organizations ◽  
Planning Processes ◽  
Equity Evaluation

Transportation inequities, the consequences of decades of auto-oriented planning alongside discriminatory land-use and transportation planning and policy decisions resulting from structural racism, severely limit opportunities for people of color and other marginalized populations. While a growing body of work has examined inequities with respect to long-range transportation planning, less research examines how equity is incorporated in short-term planning processes via the Transportation Improvement Program. This research reviewed how the metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) that serve the 40 largest U.S. urbanized areas used equity-based criteria for transportation project prioritization in regional planning. Just over half deployed at least one equity criterion for allocating transportation funds, which fell into one of six categories with varying degrees of complexity and potential for impact. While most MPOs included equity in their prioritization criteria, the methods could be improved to align better with more complete definitions of transportation equity, focusing on how targeted groups are defined, more comprehensive methods for equity evaluation, and an increase in the weight that equity is given in prioritization. MPOs and other agencies implementing transportation projects should adopt a justice-oriented framework for project prioritization that ensures that projects first affirmatively remedy historical inequities and work with affected communities to adopt appropriate and meaningful solutions.

Toward the Development of a Unified Process and Methodology Guide for Environmental Justice Analysis in Planning and Programming

2021 ◽  
pp. 036119812110288
Author(s):  
Eliot Benman ◽  
David Aimen
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Justice ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Transportation Planning ◽  
Technical Assistance ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Metropolitan Planning Organizations ◽  
South Central ◽  
Planning Organizations ◽  
Analytical Approaches

Federal Environmental Justice directives require transportation agencies responsible for planning and programming federal funds, including state departments of transportation and metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), to identify and address disproportionately high and adverse human health and environmental impacts on minority and low-income populations. Despite issuance of federal and state guidance and training programs, many MPOs nationwide continue to seek clarity on effective environmental justice (EJ) approaches and procedural considerations. The South Central Pennsylvania Unified EJ Process and Methodology study was a year-long effort undertaken by a consortium of MPOs in Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) District 8 to identify a unified and replicable approach to implementing EJ in transportation planning. PennDOT, Federal Highway Administration PA Division, and Federal Transit Administration Region III provided technical assistance and support to the effort. The consortium engaged a technical assistance consultant to facilitate a collaborative process to identify a process framework, a set of analytical methodologies, and effective strategies for advancing EJ in the regional transportation planning process. The study demonstrated a model for convening regional, state, and federal partners to reach consensus around an effective EJ process and methodology. This paper provides an overview of the study process, findings related to the concerns of the participating MPOs, and a brief description of the recommended analytical approaches. The paper discusses lessons learned during the course of the study and considers additional work required to further enhance the EJ process.

Intercity Transportation Planning in China

2015 ◽  
Vol 2512 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiawen Yang ◽  
Xiongbin Lin ◽  
Ying Xie
Keyword(s):  
Metropolitan Area ◽  
Transportation Planning ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Fine Tuning ◽  
Municipal Governments ◽  
Metropolitan Planning Organizations ◽  
Planning Organizations ◽  
Transportation Accessibility ◽  
Road Projects ◽  
The Pearl River

As a response to the emergence of multicity urban areas, Chinese governments began to adopt the American concept of a metropolitan area to frame strategies for spatial development and planning. Chinese metropolitan areas, however, lack U.S.-style metropolitan planning organizations that can engage multiple municipal governments in metropoliswide policy making, planning, and investment. With the Pearl River Delta's Guangzhou–Foshan metropolitan area in China as the example, this paper examines how a governing arrangement has emerged in the process of transportation planning and assesses its effectiveness in addressing the metropolitanwide need for transportation accessibility. The successes of metro transit and an annual toll pass are in contrast with limited progress in taxi management and arterial road projects, which points to the need for fine-tuning the governing arrangement.

Innovations in Long-Range Transportation Planning: Observations and Suggestions

2003 ◽  
Vol 1858 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeff Kramer ◽  
Edward A. Mierzejewski
Keyword(s):  
Long Range ◽  
Transportation Planning ◽  
Urban Transportation ◽  
Comprehensive Understanding ◽  
Technical Approach ◽  
Metropolitan Planning Organizations ◽  
Metropolitan Planning ◽  
Planning Organizations ◽  
Transportation Research ◽  
Innovation And Change

In 1997, to gain a comprehensive understanding of the issues and concerns facing metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) in Florida, the Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) thoroughly reviewed the long-range transportation plans of each of the state’s 25 MPOs. The study made some substantial recommendations about technical approach and structure for improvements to MPO long-range plans. In 2002, CUTR again reviewed the state’s 25 MPO long-range transportation plans, following completion of the subsequent update cycle. The recent updates of Florida’s 25 MPO long-range plans are compared with the versions completed 3 to 5 years earlier. There has been much innovation and change in long-range transportation-planning practice across the state. These findings will be of interest to MPOs nationwide.

Transportation Project Programming Process for an Urban Area

1996 ◽  
Vol 1518 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-47
Author(s):  
Guzin Akan ◽  
Stephen Brich
Keyword(s):  
Limited Resources ◽  
Improvement Program ◽  
Metropolitan Planning Organizations ◽  
Metropolitan Planning ◽  
Surface Transportation ◽  
Planning Organizations ◽  
City Network ◽  
Improvement Programs ◽  
Programming Process ◽  
The City

The Divisions of Transportation in Norfolk, Virginia, has developed a transportation project programming process (TPPP) to identify, evaluate, and priority rank projects to be included in various transportation improvement programs. The process is applicable for all the intersections and transportation corridors within the city network and is intended as an approach to increase safety and alleviate congestion. The process establishes a mechanism for the efficient use of limited resources with formalized coordination and communication among politicians, city administrators, city staff, and citizens. The process identifies and investigates hazardous roadway locations, establishes countermeasures, and sets priorities to correct the hazards identified. The TPPP also tests the identified locations for capacity deficiencies and identifies alternative strategies to reduce or alleviate congestion. The economic development related to those locations is further evaluated. Coordination with local developers, city and regional planners, and citizens groups is an integral part of the process. The product of this process is a prioritized list of recommended projects to be included in the city's capital improvement program and the local metropolitan planning organizations’ transportation improvement program. The products of the TPPP are also used to identify the city's candidate projects to be funded by the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991. The phases of the process and its applications are described.

Geographic Information System–Based Transportation Forecast Model for Small Urbanized Areas

1996 ◽  
Vol 1551 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-104
Author(s):  
Michael D. Anderson ◽  
Reginald R. Souleyrette
Keyword(s):  
Information System ◽  
Geographic Information System ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Transportation Planning ◽  
Forecast Model ◽  
Geographic Information ◽  
Metropolitan Planning Organizations ◽  
Des Moines ◽  
Planning Organizations ◽  
Gis Environment

The geographic information system (GIS) has been demonstrated to be an effective tool for transportation forecasting and scenario analysis. Previous efforts have linked full-function GIS packages with transportation forecasting models. Tools developed to provide a modeling environment more appropriate for the technical knowledge level and budget requirements of small urban or rural areas are described. Specifically, the needs of metropolitan planning organizations and regional planning affiliations in Iowa were considered in the system design. A desktop mapping package, MAPINFO, is integrated with an urban transportation planning model, TRANPLAN, to provide an interface for network analysis. With the system, network modifications and changes representing alternative demand scenarios are made in the GIS environment, and data are exported to the TRANPLAN format, and, after analysis, returned to the GIS for effective presentation of results. User tools were tested and a case study demonstrating alternatives analysis and display capabilities is presented. Although developed and tested for Des Moines, the system can easily be transferred to other agencies to enhance transportation planning capabilities.

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