FUTURE OF THE URBAN TRANSPORTATION PLANNING PROCESS

The workshop on the future of the urban transportation planning process explored the general attributes of the urban transportation process as it is most likely to, and as it should most desirably, evolve in the coming decades. Particular concern was devoted to the broad issues and problems associated with the process today. These include apparent mismatches between planning products and decisionmaker needs, deficiencies in planning methods and the uncertainty associated with future transportation system requirements and performance (and forecasts of that performance), characteristics of the emerging market for planning products, and appropriate styles and modes of behavior for transportation planners. Because of the size of this workshop and the complexity of issues it faced, the group first met as a whole to refine its objectives and then reassembled into three smaller workshops with the following discussion topics: Future Institutional Responsibilities for Transportation Planning, Including the Federal Role (Robert E. Paaswell, Chairman); Emerging Clients, Markets, Strategies, Tactics, and Products of Transportation Planning (David F. Schulz, Chairman); and Role of Methods and Models in Future Urban Transportation Planning Activities (Joel Horowitz, Chairman). The small group discussions focused initially on matching clients with existing and future planning products as a function of the level and scale of planning; exploration of potential roles and styles for planning professionals; and assessment of the current and potential applications of quantitative models and other tools and methods in transportation planning. These discussions broadened in scope as the conference proceeded. The results of the small group deliberations were brought back to the entire workshop for discussion, refinement, and consensus. This report presents the integrated recommendations and observations of the full workshop.