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 about applying the 2000 Census Data to Urbanized and Urban Areas in the FTA and FHWA Programs can be found at http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/census/faqa2cdt.htm. 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.

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.

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   (PDF)

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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.

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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)
• 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.
• Transit at the Table - Executive Summary (PDF) - This report, to be published in Fall 2004, 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.
• 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

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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