TTP220
Transportation Policy and Planning
Spring
2008
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Lectures
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MW
10:00-11:50
1116 Hart
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Instructor
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Susan Handy
Office: 2142 Wickson Hall
Office
hours: TTh 3:00 - 4:30
e-mail: slhandy@ucdavis.edu
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Course Objectives
Pick
up the paper or watch the local news and you're likely to find a story about
transportation problems in California’s
metropolitan regions, most notably the growth in traffic that has outpaced even
the growth in population and the multitude of problems that come with it –
economic inefficiencies, poor air quality, other environmental impacts, social
inequities, safety concerns. Although
most people agree on the problems, few agree on the solutions. Proposals include investing in light rail
systems, expanding the freeway system, implementing pricing strategies,
promoting transit-oriented development.
But which of these options or others is likely to be most effective? How do regions go about deciding what set
strategies to pursue? How do these
decisions and the process by which they are made fit within the current and
historical context of federal transportation policy? These are the issues we'll explore in this
introduction to transportation planning and policy at the regional level.
The objective of the course is to
provide students with an
in-depth understanding of the transportation planning process at the regional
level as it is shaped by federal policy.
The course is divided into three sections: context, process, and strategies. In the first section, we will examine the
history of urban transportation, the institutions involved in transportation
planning, and federal transportation policy as it relates to planning at the
regional level. In the second section,
we will review the planning process as carried out by Metropolitan Planning
Organizations, including long-range transportation plans, transportation
improvement programs, air quality conformity, project development, travel
demand modeling, financing, and public involvement. In the final section, we will examine the
evidence on a variety of demand-side strategies for addressing regional
transportation problems, including pricing, transit services, bicycle and
pedestrian programs, and land use policies.
Transportation planning
and policy IN THE NEWS
America's Crumbling Infrastructure - NPR series starting 6/1/08
Home Prices Dropping Most in Areas with Long Commutes – NPR
Story, 4/21/08
Housing +
Transportation Affordability Index
NPR News Blog on Gas Tax Holiday
State of
New York Blocks City’s Effort to Implement Congestion Pricing – BBC story,
4/8/08
Cost of Life in the
‘Burbs – NPR Story, 3/31/08
Syllabus
and Assignments
Syllabus
Paper 1 – Topics in
Transportation History
Helpful writing
tips for every stage of the process
Paper 2 – MPO Analysis
Directory of
MPOs
Idea
1: Planning for Accessibility: In Theory and Practice
Idea
2: Taking
Steps: An Assessment of MPO Support for Bicycling and Walking
Idea
3: Integrating
Sustainability into the Transportation Planning Process
Idea
4: Changes in Technical Aspects in Response to Changing Goals
Paper 3 and
Presentation – Strategies Assessment
Draft Schedule of Topics and Readings
Chapters refer to The Geography of Urban
Transportation. Stay
tuned for updates to readings...
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3/31
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Mon
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Overview
and Introduction
Intro Powerpoint
Issues
Powerpoint
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Chapter 1
TRB’s Critical Issues in Transportation
Highway Blues – Nothing a Little
Accessibility Couldn’t Cure
For
reference: Summary of
Travel Trends – 2001 NHTS
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4/2
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Wed
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Impacts and
History 1
Impacts and History 1 handout
Impacts Powerpoint
History Powerpoint
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Chapter 3
Explore
this website from the Smithsonian
Museum: American
on the Move
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4/7
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Mon
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History 2
“Taken for
a Ride”
History 2 handout
Federal Legislation handout
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FHWA on Designating
the Urban Interstates
More Highway
History from FHWA
New
Day Films website on “Taken for a Ride”
1937 GM
short “Conquering Roads” by Jam Handy (no
relation)
For
Reference: Urban Transportation
Planning In The US - A Historical Overview/Nov 1992
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4/9
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Wed
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“Divided
Highways”
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Divided
Highways website
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4/14
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Mon
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Institutions
Institutions handout
Who does what table
Institutions Powerpoint
Memo on topic due
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A
Citizen's Guide to Transportation Decision Making
Handy and Clifton
Chapter – intro to land use planning and transportation planning for
public health community; focus on the “How it Works”
sections
MPO Guidebook – focus on
Chapter 1
For
reference: History of Metropolitan Planning Organizations
Of
interest: An
Inherent Bias? Geographic and Racial-Ethnic Patterns of MPO Boards – from
the Brookings Institute
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4/16
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Wed
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Federal
Policy 1
ISTEA 1 handout
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Congressional Research
Service Report on SAFETEA-LU
For
Reference: FHWA’s SAFETEA-LU overview
Of
interest: AASHTO’s
Transportation Invest in our Future – A New Vision for the 21st
Century
Of
interest: Center for Clean Air Policy’s Green-TEA proposal
Of
interest: American
Road and Transportation Builder Association’s Reauthorization Proposal
Of
interest: Brookings Institute’s Visioning Transportation’s Future –
SAFETEA-LU Reauthorization and Beyond
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4/21
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Mon
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Federal
Policy 2
ISTEA handout 2
SAFETEA-LU Planning
Factors
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Chapters 4,
5, and 7 of Federal Transportation Policy and the Role of Metropolitan
Planning Organizations in California
"Metro Power" - article
on impact of ISTEA on MPOs
For
reference: SAFETEA-LU
Planning Provisions Workshop – from March 2006, help for state DOTs
For
Reference: Bicycle
and Pedestrian Provisions of US Code
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4/23
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Wed
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The
Long-Range Plan
LRP handout
LRP powerpoint
Transport Policy paper
Paper 1 due
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Chapter 6
Chapters 3
and 6 of Federal Transportation Policy and the Role of Metropolitan
Planning Organizations in California
For an
overview: MPO Guidebook – focus on
Chapter 3
For an overview: Metropolitan Transportation Planning: Executive Summary –
a Powerpoint presentation from the FHWA/FTA Transportation Planning Capacity
Building Program
For
reference: US Code Chapter 23 Chapter 1
Subchapter I §134 Metropolitan Planning
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4/28
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Mon
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Forecasting
TDM handout
TDM powerpoint
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Chapter 5
"Deception in Dallas"
- a classic critique of the use of models in transportation planning
For
reference: Manual of Regional Transportation Modeling Practice for Air
Quality Analysis - read the introduction
For
reference: Inside the Black Box - an overview of transportation
modeling, with a critique
For more info: "Incorporating Urban Design Variables in MPOs' Travel Demand
Models"
For more info: "Incorporating Pedestrian and Bicycle Factors into Regional
Transportation Planning Models"
Of
interest: Transims website - look
at the background pages
Of
interest: PLACE3S
website
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4/30
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Wed
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Air Quality
Conformity
Conformity handout
Conformity powerpoint
Memo on MPO due
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Transportation Conformity: A
Basic Guide for State and Local Officials
For
reference: Transportation Conformity Reference Guide
For
reference: Niemeier, Zheng, Kear 2004
For
reference: Modeling Mobile
Source Emissions, National Academy of Sciences
Of
interest: SACOG Conformity Determination
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5/5
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Mon
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Programming
the TIP
TIP handout
TIP powerpoint
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MPO Briefing Book -
especially Section 1 and sections on air quality, environmental justice, and
financial planning and programming
Project
Prioritizing Examples...
For example: Southwest
Washington Regional Transportation Council - be sure to look at needs
criteria
For example: Pikes
Peak Region Mobility Plan
For example: Knoxville
Regional Transportation Planning Organization – see process
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5/7
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Wed
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Financing
Financing
handout
Financing
powerpoint
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Chapter 11
National
Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission Report
California Travels: Financing our Transportation -
Legislative Analyst's Office, 2004
Of
interest: Local Transportation Sales Taxes: California's Experiment in
Transportation Finance - Crabbe, Hiatt, Poliwka, and Wachs
Of
interest: The Rise of Local Option
Transportation Taxes - Goldman and Wachs
For reference: FHWA's
Innovative Finance webpage - see the latest issue of Innovative Finance Quarterly
See also Innovation Briefs for
several articles on Tolling
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5/12
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Mon
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Project
Devt Process
Project
Devt Handout
Project
Devt powerpoint
Select strategies topics
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FHWA
Project Development webpage
FHWA
Environmental Streamlining/Stewardship
FHWA Context-Sensitive
Solutions
Caltrans
Context-Sensitive Solutions
Flexibility in
Highway Design
FHWA
Design Guidance on Accommodating Bicycle and Pedestrian Travel
ITE’s new
report on Context Sensitive
Solutions
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5/14
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Wed
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Public
Involvement
Public
Involvement Handout
PI
Guidelines
PI Strategies
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Chapter 12
TR News issue on Public Involvement - read articles
by Matley and by Szyliowicz, skim others
White Paper on Public Involvement
by TRB committee
For reference: Public
Involvement Techniques
For
reference: Citizen’s Handbook on Environmental Justice
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5/19
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Mon
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Paper 2 due
MPO
summaries
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Note: Class will start at 11! |
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5/21
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Wed
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Strategies
Overview
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Chapter 14
– Managing the Auto
National
Strategy to Reduce Congestion on America’s Transportation Network
Longer
View: The Road Less Driven
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5/26
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Mon
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Holiday
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5/28
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Wed
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Goods movement
Voluntary
Trip Reduction
Parking
Pricing
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Chapter 11
–
see pp. 302-305 on pricing
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6/2
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Mon
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LRT
BRT
ITS
applications
Paratransit
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Chapter 8 –
Public Transportation
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6/5
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Wed
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Bike/Ped
New Urbanism
TOD
Social
Marketing
Putting it all
together!
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Chapter 9 –
Land Use Impact of Transportation Investments: Highways and Transit
Chapter 4 –
Impact of Information Technologies
See also: Smart
Growth and the Transportation-Land Use Connection
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6/12
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Thurs
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Final
papers due
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Other
Resources
TEA-21
Homepage, hosted by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
Surface
Transportation Reauthorization Homepage, hosted by FHWA
Transportation
Capacity Building Program - Resource Index, hosted by FHWA and FTA
Metropolitan
Planning - Transportation Capacity Building Program, hosted by FHWA and FTA
A series on transportation reform published by the Brookings
Institution.
Good
sources for your strategy paper:
Victoria Transport Policy Institute
– try the TDM
Encyclopedia
Innovation Briefs – essays
on a variety of current transportation issues.
The Reason Foundation
– more essays on a variety of current transportation issues, plus their Surface
Transportation Innovations newsletter
For fun:
A
Houstonian’s attempt to optimize his commute.
Return to Department of Environmental Science and
Policy
Return to Susan Handy's
home page
Last updated 6/4/08