Transportation Planning

“Transportation planning” is a broad term that has many meanings. To some, it might mean fixing the potholes in the neighborhood streets. To others, it might mean trying to solve the massive congestion characteristic of most urban areas. To others still, the term might conjure up futuristic transportation vessels as were depicted in the movie Blade Runner, or even in the 1960s cartoon The Jetsons. In truth, the multidisciplinary field of transportation planning covers all of these areas and more.

Transportation planning is the functional area within transportation engineering that deals with the relationship of land use to travel patterns and travel demands; and the planning, evaluation, and programming of transportation facilities, including roadways, transit, terminals, parking, pedestrian facilities, bikeways, and goods movement.

Transportation planning plays a fundamental role in the state's, region's, or community's vision for its future. It includes a comprehensive consideration of possible strategies; an evaluation process that encompasses diverse viewpoints; the collaborative participation of relevant transportation-related agencies and organizations; and open, timely, and meaningful public involvement.

Because transportation issues are frequently cross-jurisdictional, covering multiple cities, towns, counties, states, and sometimes even countries, most transportation planning is spearheaded by a regional planning organization, also known as a metropolitan planning organization (MPO). However, because MPOs are only mandated in areas with a population of 50,000 or more, in rural areas of the country, most planning is undertaken by state departments of transportation (DOTs).

Transportation planning is not only cross-jurisdictional; it is also cross-disciplinary. While there are many professionals who work solely as transportation planners, transportation planning is a cross-disciplinary field, performed by a multitude of professionals, including not only planners but also engineers, landscape architects, environmental scientists, and economists, to name just a few.