The challenges of change

This dissertation provides a critique of state level long range transportation planning in the United States within the context of regulation. The research identifies challenges faced by state level planners and how historical, organizational, and methodological constructs have undermined quality outcomes. Recommendations are suggested on how to modify traditional reductionist rational long range transportation planning practice in order to increase the probability of creating more effective and robust transportation policies. The research is composed of three parts: a case study of the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT), an analysis of current individual state long range transportation plans, and a phone survey of DOT directors of transportation planning directly responsible for their respective state’s long range transportation plan (LRTP) development. The research found that state level long range transportation plans over the past 40 years have been created to meet statutory federal requirements for funding rather than as a tool for improving the quality of transportation policy outcomes. The process has led to little motivation to implement improved long range planning methodologies since the results of the plans have not actually been utilized in practice. The perception of planners and other stakeholders is that state level long range transportation planning has lost salience and is of little utility under a Federal regulation policy of “one size fits all.” The interviews and case study affirmed continuing semantic and philosophical divides between transportation engineers, planners, and the public, thus limiting new insights and creativity. Epistemological challenges coupled with a pervasive “that’s the way we have always done it” view appears to have hindered any desire for change in historical long range planning practice within state transportation agencies due to undefined risks in challenging the status quo. The research presented demonstrates how existing federal-state long range transportation planning processes can be altered to better inform policy development by using alternative “mindful” analytic and behavioral methodologies. Salient approaches better suited to policy development for complex chaotic systems, should contribute to greater robustness, resilience and sustainability of desired future outcomes so the resulting plans do not continue to remain just another “unused document on the shelf.”