Consideration of Environmental Factors in Transportation Systems Planning (2005) / Chapter Skim
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RESEARCH OBJECTIVE AND APPROACH The objective of this research was to develop an approach, including procedures and methods, for integrating environmental factors in transportation systems planning and decision making at the state, regional, and metropolitan levels. The research consisted of the following tasks: 1.
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The benefits of considering environmental factors in transportation systems planning include the following: • Transportation agencies can avoid or at least minimize environmental impacts as they relate to network investment decisions; • Projects that jointly meet both transportation purposes and enhancement of environmental quality can be identified more easily when environmental factors are considered; • Identifying sensitive environmental areas or regions can provide an important context for much broader community development planning; • Environmental sensitivities as they relate to project characteristics can be carried through all steps of planning, thus resulting in better projects, or at least better mitigation strategies; • Needs and purpose justification required in project development can be provided earlier in the process when environmental factors are considered; • When combined with interagency partnerships, considering environmental factors in system planning can expedite environmental resource agency reviews in project planning; and • Although considering environmental factors often means spending more staff time in the early stages of planning, this is more than offset with staff-time savings later in project development. MAJOR FINDINGS This research has examined many different examples of how DOTs and MPOs have considered environmental factors in transportation systems planning.
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• State and MPO officials expect to see more attention being given to the types of environmental impacts that are best addressed at a systems level. • A small number of states and metropolitan areas have taken major steps in integrating environmental factors into transportation systems planning.
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INSTITUTIONAL STRATEGIES TO IMPLEMENT CHANGE Each of the successful efforts identified in this research of incorporating environmental factors into the policy, planning, or project development activities of a transportation agency was implemented with deliberation and consideration of how such a change could be best carried out in the organization. Although each of the case studies presented different aspects of incorporating environmental factors into organizational procedures or agency culture, the strategies usually had many common characteristics.
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All of these efforts were critical to the success of the initiatives in each agency. • External Implementation Strategies -- Much of the success in considering environmental factors in systems planning relies on establishing agreements with environmental resource agencies that articulate the respective roles of each participant in planning and project development.
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• Understanding the political, social, and land-use contexts for transportation planning, and how they influence the opportunities for, and constraints on, considering environmental factors during systems planning -- This research has identified several cases where initial steps have been taken to integrate community planning, infrastructure provision, and environmental assessment. In many cases, these planning activities have evolved in separate institutional constructs, and it is only through the intervention of community activists, political leadership, or legislative mandate that such integration has been attempted.
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. All of the organizational activities would be examined and strategies developed to foster increased consideration of environmental factors in all aspects of an agency's daily functions.
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