Metropolitan transportation planning is the process of examining travel and transportation issues and needs in metropolitan areas. It includes a demographic analysis of the community in question, as well as an examination of travel patterns and trends. The planning process includes an analysis of alternatives to meet projected future demands, and for providing a safe and efficient transportation system that meets mobility while not creating adverse impacts to the environment. In metropolitan areas over 50,000 population, the responsibility for transportation planning lies with designated Metropolitan Planning Organizations.

Related Topics

• Legislation, Regulations, and Guidance
• Briefing Notebook for Transportation Decisionmakers, Officials, and Staff

Training and Education

Technical Resources

• Publications
• Case Studies
• Links

Peer Programs

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 Related Topics

• Legislation, Regulations, and Guidance
• Briefing Notebook

Legislation, Regulations, and Guidance

Federal Requirements related to the formation of new MPOs
Since the 1962 Federal-aid Highway Act, federal authorizing legislation for expenditure of surface transportation funds has required metropolitan area transportation plans and programs to be developed through a continuing, cooperative, and comprehensive (3-C) planning process. Over successive authorization cycles leading to the passage of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) in July 1998, Congress has added and revised the substantive content expected from the 3-C planning processes.

Transportation planning processes are required to be organized and directed for all urbanized areas by metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs). Frequently asked questions and answers provide information on applying the 2000 Census Data to Urbanized and Urban Areas in the FTA and FHWA Programs. The Census Bureau defines urbanized areas (UZAs), and transportation regulation requires MPOs to be established in urbanized areas. UZAs are defined as areas with a population of at least 50,000. MPOs are established for a metropolitan planning area that must contain, at a minimum, the Census Bureau defined urbanized area (UZA) and the area expected to become urbanized in the next 20 years. The metropolitan planning area may extend to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) defined metropolitan statistical area.

In the May 1, 2002 Federal Register, the US Bureau of the Census designated new urbanized areas (UZA). Designation as a new urbanized area does not mean the area must form a new MPO. Instead, the new urbanized area could be integrated into an existing MPO. An MPO, its planning boundaries and membership and voting structure are established and designated by agreement between local officials and the Governor ( 23 CFR 450.306). This is a State and local choice. Governors' and local officials have been encouraged to establish new MPOs or incorporate new urbanized areas within an existing MPO within twelve months of designation (the same time period allotted after the 1990 Census). This does not mean that a TIP or plan needs to be in place in 12 months. An initial MPO work plan ( 23 CFR 450.314) should include the tasks and schedule that will lead to a plan and TIP.

Transportation planning provides the information, tools, and public input needed for improving transportation system performance. Transportation planning should reflect the community's vision for its future. It should also include a comprehensive consideration of possible strategies; an evaluation process that encompasses diverse viewpoints; the collaborative participation of relevant transportation-related agencies and organizations; and an open, timely, and meaningful involvement of the public. Transportation planning requires a comprehensive, holistic look at the needs and the future of the region and its inhabitants.

Detailed information on the federal laws, regulations, and guidance pertaining to transportation planning may be found at the FHWA Office of Planning, Environment, and Realty site for Legislation, Regulations, and Guidance and at the FTA Office of Planning site for Planning Statutes and Regulations.

MPO SAFETEA-LU Listening Session Web Conference — FHWA and FTA conducted a SAFETEA-LU Listening Session in a web conference format for Metropolitan Planning Organizations on November 29, 2005. The purpose of the listening session was to solicit feedback and input on the planning provisions in SAFETEA-LU that Metropolitan Planning Organizations thought needed regulation, guidance or clarification. The Listening Session was devoted to listening to participant thoughts on how FHWA/FTA should proceed to implement SAFETEA-LU.

Non-Metropolitan Local Officials Consultation- TEA-21 legislation provides for States to consult with and consider the concerns of non-metropolitan officials, when making transportation decisions in their Statewide Transportation Planning and Programming duties. The final rule on local official consultation was published in the Federal Register on January 23, 2003 with a correction to the final rule published on February 14, 2003. The Final Rule clarifies the role of non-metropolitan local officials in the statewide transportation planning process. The final rule requires States to document their consultation process with non-metropolitan local officials that provides for their participation in statewide transportation planning and programming and that is separate and discrete from the public involvement process. The States are required to review and solicit comments regarding this process in order to ensure that the process is continually effective. All required States have documented and implemented their processes.

Public Transportation Participation Pilot Program — The Federal Transit Administration is seeking proposals for research that will develop innovative approaches to improving public participation in the planning of public transportation. Research will be sponsored through the Public Transportation Participation Pilot Program, created as part of SAFETEA-LU.

SAFETEA-LU: Interim Guidance for Implementing SAFETEA-LU Provisions on Planning, Environment, and Air Quality for FHWA Authorities — FHWA interim guidance is intended for the use of FHWA and FTA field offices in working with their State/local planning partners and grantees in implementing SAFETEA-LU.

SAFETEA-LU: Interim Guidance for Implementing Key SAFETEA-LU Provisions on Planning, Environment, and Air Quality for Joint FHWA/FTA Authorities — FHWA/FTA interim guidance is intended for the use of FHWA and FTA field offices in working with their State/local planning partners and grantees in implementing SAFETEA-LU.

SAFETEA-LU: Transition and Implementation of SAFETEA-LU Planning Provisions — Additional "clarifying information/guidance" on the transition and implementation of the SAFETEA-LU planning provisions.

St Louis Non-Metropolitan Local Official Consultation Workshop - AASHTO, with support from the FHWA, sponsored a workshop to discuss experiences and suggestions on implementing a Final Rule on Non-Metropolitan Local Consultation. Specifically, the workshop provided a forum for representatives from states, the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO), the National Association of Counties (NACO) and other key stakeholders to foster mutual learning by sharing their experiences in implementing consultation processes with non-metropolitan local officials and to offer suggestions of how to enhance effective collaboration. This report provides a preliminary overview of the workshop proceedings.

Briefing Notebook

The Transportation Planning Process: Key Issues
A Briefing Notebook for Transportation Decisionmakers, Officials, and Staff  

To access the 2004 version of this publication, click here

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 Training and Education

Formal training courses provide a rigorous background in the substance and methods of the planning process. The TPCB Program includes formal training in a broad range of transportation planning subjects. These sessions are geared to the needs of decisionmakers, transportation officials, professional staff, and FHWA and FTA field staff. New courses are being developed based on feedback from transportation professionals.

Transportation planning training courses are offered by the National Highway Institute (NHI) , the National Transit Institute (NTI), The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Federal Transit Administration (FTA), the Travel Model Improvement Program (TMIP) , and other organizations offering NHI, NTI, and FHWA recognized courses.

A number of planning courses are available from the FHWA, FTA, and other resources that relate directly and indirectly to Metropolitan planning issues. For more information go to the TPCB Training and Education page.

• Metropolitan Transportation Planning: Executive Seminar This seminar provided MPO board members with an overview of the federal perspective on: the purpose and process of metropolitan transportation planning, and the larger context for it; the authority and responsibilities of a Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO); and the role of the MPO Board (PPT)

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 Technical Resources

• Publications
• Case Studies
• Links

Publications

• A Citizen's Guide to Transportation Decisionmaking
• FHWA’s State Practices Used to Report Local Area Travel provides survey information on promising and innovative State practices used to estimate local area travel in rural, small urban, and urbanized areas. The report may be useful to MPO and state planners.
• A Guide to Metropolitan Transportation Planning Under ISTEA: How the Pieces Fit Together — Provides a framework for linking the various elements of ISTEA‘s transportation planning process together in a comprehensive manner as well as information, suggestions, and examples of ways to carry out the metropolitan planning process. (Report No: FHWA-PD-95-03)
• How to Engage Low-Literacy and Limited-English-Proficiency Populations in Transportation Decisionmaking (PDF)
• Information on Noteworthy Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Practices: Cooperative Revenue Forecasting and Annual Listings of Obligated Projects (PDF, MS Word)
• Lincoln Land Institute: Land Use and Transportation in the Metropolitan Planning Process
  
• MPO Role in Preparing for Security — This paper outlines possible roles for MPOs in a regional strategy for handling security/disaster incidents. The appropriate role depends upon the political and institutional context for that region and the expertise and capabilities of the MPO staff. Given the regional nature of an incident of the scale and scope of the events of September 11th or of a natural disaster such as an earthquake, the MPO has potentially an important role to play. In fact, existing MPO hurricane and disaster evacuation plans are a good starting point and may be sufficient for the types of incidents anticipated.
• NYU Rudin Center Report, "Pedestrian and Bicyclist Standards and Innovations in Large Central Cities" (PDF only) — The Rudin Center for Transportation Policy & Management at NYU Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service prepared a report on "Pedestrian and Bicyclist Standards and Innovations in Large Central Cities" in conjunction with the National Association of City Transportation Officials, Inc. and with the support of the Federal Highway Administration's Office of Planning. The report reviews how best to accommodate the use of bicycles and walking while ensuring safety and sufficient mobility for motor vehicles for large central cities and provides examples of best practices in various cities nationally and internationally.
• Security planning includes activities and products developed in response to identified criminal threats to high value, vulnerable elements of the transportation system. Preparedness planning includes activities and products developed in response to the threat of environmental hazards and natural occurrences. Four state and metropolitan planning organizations where researched for this report, which found numerous activities that can be characterized as contributing to the integration of security and emergency preparedness into the transportation planning process including: chartering committees and organizations; establishing liaisons or otherwise designating planning staff resources; establishing project categories and program funding; and conducting vulnerability and threat assessments. The four planning organizations investigated were: Houston-Galveston Area Council (PDF), San Diego Association of Governments (PDF), Oregon State Department of Transportation (PDF), and the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments (PDF). Reports available in PDF format only. To request a printed version of a report, email kenneth.petty@dot.gov
• Surface Transportation Policy Partnership Report and Guidebook — The Surface Transportation Policy Partnership (STPP), released two new reports on the Federal transportation law. The Guidebook — A Guide to Transportation Opportunities in Your Community — reviews how Federal surface transportation law can be used to support local and statewide efforts to build more livable communities and expand travel options. The Workshop Report — Using the Federal Transportation Law to Meeting the Mobility Needs of Your Community: Report on Workshop Discussions, Findings and Next Steps — describes key findings from the STPP Partners workshop series, which were held in seven locations from January - June 2006.
• Transit at the Table: A Guide to Participation in Metropolitan Decisionmaking (PDF) and Executive Summary (PDF) — This report presents the observations, perspectives, and recommendations of a cross-section of transit agencies from large metropolitan areas on how to secure strategic positions in the metropolitan planning process. More importantly, the report can be a guide on how to use those positions to win policy and program support for priority transit services. The challenges to achieving full decisionmaking partnerships in regional settings, the most effective strategies for addressing these challenges, and the rewards of partnerships are presented by transit industry leaders using their own experiences. (January 2005)
• Transportation Management Area Planning Certification Review Primer. This primer provides a basic understanding of the key concepts and expectations addressed through a review, along with references to pertinent laws, regulations, policies, and other resources.
• Urban Transportation Planning in the United States: An Historical Overview — Focuses on key events in the evolution of urban transportation planning including developments in technical procedures, philosophy, processes, and institutions.
• Other Publications of Interest

Case Studies

Following is a series of case studies of the administrative, policy, and technical development of a metropolitan transportation planning practice, as experienced by 10 active Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) that were designated subsequent to the 1990 Census. Just as the 1990 Census resulted in designation of new urbanized areas (UZAs), which prompted the need to initiate metropolitan planning and establish MPOs, the Year 2000 Census has identified new UZAs. These new UZAs, in turn, need to either form new free-standing MPOs, or affiliate with an existing MPO if one is adjacent. These case studies were prepared to assist local and state officials who are in the process of addressing newly designated urbanized areas. MPO formation is a state and locally driven process. This information is not intended to be an exhaustive summary of the activities leading to formation, nor formal guidance. These cases reflect the experiences of the areas identified and their unique circumstances.

Contents of the Case Studies
The local planning partners, those instrumental in the MPO formation process, tell the story. The purpose of these case studies is to provide a first hand, general flavor of the initial steps in the MPO formation process.

These case studies provide an understanding of how each area responded to the requirement for MPO designation. Topics discussed include:

• Steps to Designation
• Policy Board Membership
• Financial Support and Staffing
• Air Quality Planning and Technical Support
• MPO Products and Transit's Role

• ESTIP Case Study: ARC Interactive Map The primary goal the Atlanta Region Commission had for developing an interactive map was to make project information available in a way that the public could understand and easily access.
• ESTIP Case Study: California Transportation Improvement Program System (CTIPS) The CTIPS is a database system that stores California’s federally required statewide transportation improvement program projects in a central location.
• ESTIP Case Study: HGAC TIP Online The Houston-Galveston Area Council provides three electronic aids: downloads of its Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) and associated documents; an online, interactive mapping function that shows all projects for the TIP and Regional Transportation Plan; and a project submission application for adding projects to the TIP.
• ESTIP Case Study: NCDOT ESTIP The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) offers an electronic version of its Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) through its website. The web site offers interactive maps, PDF maps, and PDF STIP project listings for each of the state's 14 divisions.
• Non-Traditional Performance Measures — The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials' Standing Committee on Planning has released a report that explores how state departments of transportation, metropolitan planning organizations, and public transportation agencies use non-traditional performance measures in their transportation planning and decision-making processes.
• The Rapidly Urbanizing/Overview report identifies examples of innovative transportation planning practices by states and metropolitan planning organizations to include rural communities near rapidly growing urbanized areas or small towns that are expected to become urbanized by the next U. S. Census.

Links

• Other Resource Links of Interest

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 Peer Programs

The Transportation Planning Capacity Building Peer Program is one of the most important pieces of the overall Transportation Planning Capacity Building vision. By providing opportunities for sharing solution-based experiences throughout the professional planning community, the Peer Exchange Program seeks to recognize, support, and promote good metropolitan, statewide, rural, and tribal transportation planning practices nationwide. Sharing ideas, noteworthy and solution-based experiences between Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs), regional planning organizations, transit operators, state departments of transportation (SDOTs), and tribal governments not only strengthens transportation planning practices, but also builds relationships and reinforces cooperation between these agencies. The people who depend on the transportation system ultimately benefit from this peer exchange in the form of a more efficient multi-modal system that provides mobility and access for passengers and freight.

For more information go to the Peer Programs page.

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