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NCHRP Project 08-36
Proposed Research Problem Statement
1. Title
The Role of Planning in a 21st Century Transportation Agency
2. Background
Transportation agencies are evolving in response to a plethora of 21st century challenges.
Changing population distributions and demographics are increasingly concentrating
economic and social activities into metropolitan regions, and even megaregions, with
attendant shifts in political power at the local, state and national levels. Increasing population
and development have driven the demand for efficient, affordable and accessible multimodal
transportation system. Unmitigated environmental impacts from the early half of the last
century led to regulations that have slowed the delivery of projects and increased the need for
an ever more public and collaborative plan and project approval process. Years of serious
underinvestment in preserving current infrastructure assets have created a backlog of needs,
compounding a shortage of resources available for preservation, maintenance, operation and
equally importantly expansion of the transportation system needed to keep America
competitive in a global economy.
Transportation agencies are struggling to catch up to other political and private sectors in
developing and implementing a relevant definition of sustainability, embodying the concept
that services and facilities must balance economic, environmental and social benefits.
Climate change remains a significant challenge for transportation since fossil fuel combusted
in vehicles moving people and goods is the single largest source of greenhouse gases in many
states, and many climate change strategies seek to limit expansion of transportation facilities.
This situation is particularly tricky for transportation agencies when the “new normal” for the
second decade of the 21st century is one of scarce resources and energy insecurity.
Transportation improvements must simultaneously compete for resources with other social
needs, and be supported by funding sources not tied to the sale of petroleum based fuels.
Transportation agencies must develop political and financial partnerships to gain needed
approvals and resources. Agencies are dealing with shrinking operational budgets and
downsizing. The public expects a solid system performance return on their investments, and
they want transparency and accountability. A diminished national role in developing
America’s transportation system will place new responsibilities on the public and private
sectors in the states and regions to not only ensure the availability of facilities and services,
but to also maintain intercity, interregional and international connectivity. Developing and
operating this multi-modal and multi-owner/operator system in this resource constrained and
volatile environment will require intense collaboration at all levels in the public and private
sectors.
Transportation planning evolved as a means to identify the best infrastructure and service
investments. Such planning becomes ever more important in an era of limited resources.
Ironically, the perception that there will be no money to implement plans erodes support for
traditional planning. At the same time, transportation planning that is sensitive to system
investment benefits such as long term economic growth and quality of life is essential for
generating the public support for future funding and investments.
3. Statement of Urgency
The rate at which political, funding, environmental, economic and social issues are
complicating the preservation, operation, and improvement of transportation system elements
is accelerating. Global recession and political unrest are causing fuel supplies and usage to
becoming less stable, causing traditional transportation funding to be less predictable and
adequate.
A viable transportation system is critical and citizens look to state and local transportation
agencies to be responsive and responsible in providing for their mobility needs—especially
in times of change. Transportation planning’s role is paramount in keeping ahead of and
leading transformative change and in addressing these complex issues. With transportation
agencies already having to make downsizing and right-sizing decisions to focus on essential
core functions, this research is needed to help guide those decisions and to ensure that
planning activities continue to provide the decision support needed to preserve, maintain,
operate and improve transportation infrastructure and services.
4. Project Objective(s)
This project will look at past and current research and practice to identify how the overall
mission and structure of transportation agencies must evolve to adapt to the 21st century
challenges those agencies must meet. Specifically the project will identify the role of
Planning in addressing those challenges, how agency organization can be structured to best
support planning functions, and what skill sets will be needed by planning practitioners. In
addition, the project will seek to identify impediments to implementing change that have
prevented significant progress in developing 21st century planning practices and functions
within transportation agencies over the past decade.
5. Relationship to Existing Body of Knowledge
A decade ago NCHRP Project 8-36A-Task 3-Management of Institutional Change in State
Transportation Planning Processes and Programs Issues Paper (Cambridge Systematics, April
2000) identified many of the issues identified above as emerging challenges to which
transportation agencies would need to react.
There has been considerable research during the last decade on the development and use of
performance measures to improve decisions and operations, and to explain successes and
problems to everyday people making personal travel and project funding choices. SHRP 2
has looked not only at new tools and techniques for improving the system, but also at the
collaborative decision making process with regard to expanding the transportation system,
and how to better incorporate operational, economic and environmental benefits into
decisions. A 2008 report prepared for NCHRP 20-83 by ICF International, "Long-Range
Strategic Issues Facing the Transportation Industry", identified several megatrends that may
impact the transportation sector. As a result, seven NCHRP 20-83 projects are underway to
forecast potential impacts to the transportation sector and identify the challenges, including
sustainability, climate change, and the economy for which transportation agencies must be
prepared structurally, institutionally and intellectually. These projects will help define the
environment in which transportation agencies will evolve to meet changing missions. This
project will focus on the future role that Planning should and will play in meeting those
agency missions.
This project should build on the progress of this body of research to date, and not try to
reproduce it anew.
6. List of Anticipated Work Tasks
Through a series of surveys, interviews, and facilitated discussions identify ways in which
transportation planning topics, roles and responsibilities are evolving and outline possible
strategies and actions to assist agencies in preparing for the future. Organizations to be
contacted include states, metropolitan planning organizations, national transportation
planning leaders, representatives of university or colleges with strong transportation planning
curriculums, TRB planning committees and AASHTO SCOP members. To the extent
possible this work should be coordinated with, and build upon the NCHRP 20-83 (active)
projects. In addition, other public or private sector parties or industries which are undergoing
change in how they do business, or use the transportation system should be identified and
their evolving needs and concerns solicited.
Tasks could include:
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Conduct a literature review of transportation planning practices and emergent needs.
Document in what ways and to what extent transportation topics, roles and governance
responsibilities are evolving, shifting and changing in response to new and emerging
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realities regarding sustainability, climate change, constrained resources and energy
supply and cost volatility.
Identify core topics and focus areas for state and metropolitan transportation planning
efforts which will continue to be relevant in an evolving political, economic and social
environment.
Describe any organizational or institutional challenges that could potentially influence
how the roles and responsibilities of transportation planning could evolve in state and
metropolitan organizations, including agency abilities to recruit and retain talented
planning personnel
Determine what core planning related competencies, knowledge, skills and abilities will
be needed in the future
Assess how college and university curriculums are evolving to prepare individuals for
transportation planning positions now and in the future
Outline strategies for meeting future and evolving transportation planning requirements
and needs
Conduct surveys and/or convene focus groups or other forms of obtaining input to gather
feedback on what Planning’s role should be in the identified activities and to validate
study results and recommendations.
7. Estimate of Funds Needed
$100,000
8. Estimate of Time Needed to Complete the Research
10 months
9. Name, Affiliation and Contact Information of Submitter(s)
Brian J. Smith, AICP
Director, Strategic Planning
Washington State Department of Transportation
P.O. Box 47373
Olympia, WA 98504-7373
(360) 705-7958
[email protected]
Tim Henkel
Assistant Commissioner, Modal Planning & Program Management Division
Minnesota Department of Transportation
Mail Stop 120, Room 431
395 John Ireland Boulevard
Saint Paul, MN 55155-1899
(651) 366-4829
[email protected]
10. Date of Submittal
April 1, 2011