Integrating Sustainability into the Transportation Planning Process (2005)

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v i i Preface In July 2004 approximately 70 people assembled inBaltimore, Maryland, to participate in the Confer-ence on Integrating Sustainability into the Trans- portation Planning Process. The conference, organized and conducted by the Transportation Research Board (TRB), brought together individuals from across the transportation, energy, environmental, land use, plan- ning, and public policy communities—at national, state, and local levels and from the public and the private sec- tors. The public sector was represented by officials from the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Federal Highway Administration, the Federal Transit Adminis- tration, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as well as from state and regional organizations. Pri- vate-sector participants included members of academia, individuals from trade associations, automotive indus- try professionals, and consultants. Sponsored by TRB, the Federal Highway Adminis- tration, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the conference was conducted under the auspices of TRB’s parent organizaton, the National Research Coun- cil (NRC). A specially appointed NRC committee devel- oped the conference as a forum to exchange perspectives on the challenges and potential solutions to the chal- lenges of integrating sustainability concerns into the transportation planning process. Drawing on the resource papers, presentations, and conference discus- sions, the conference committee evaluated the current state of the practice, considered strategies for integrat- ing sustainability concepts into transportation planning, and identified areas for further research. CONFERENCE PROGRAM The conference program was designed to maximize the exchange of information and perspectives among par- ticipants. To gain a better understanding of all of the viewpoints presented, the reader is encouraged to read the report in its entirety. The program began with a general session (General Session 1) that included a welcome from the Federal Highway Administration, a sponsor of the conference; the presentation of the conference charge by the confer- ence committee chair, David Greene; a keynote address by Thomas Deen; and presentation of the first of two resource papers developed for the conference—“Sus- tainable Transport: Definitions and Responses” by William Black. In General Session 2, participants heard from experts on six indicators of sustainability: health, climate change, energy, equity, land/community, and habitats/ecosystems. In General Session 3, the second resource paper was pre- sented—“What Are the Challenges to Creating Sustain- able Transportation? How Can Transportation Systems Become More Sustainable?” by Martin Wachs. The conference program then separated the partici- pants into four concurrent panel sessions organized into substantive tracks. Each concurrent session included a facilitator who served to energize and spur discussion and a rapporteur who recapped the discussion high- lights. Concurrent Sessions I focused on the challenges of sustainable transportation, and Concurrent Sessions II requested the participants to discuss potential solu-

tions to the challenges. In General Sessions 4 and 6 the rapporteurs provided summaries of the concurrent ses- sion discussions to stimulate the exchange of views among conference participants. In General Session 5 industry experts participated on a panel in which they presented approaches to the chal- lenges of sustainable transportation. In addition to the general and concurrent sessions described above, the conference included two luncheon speakers and a poster session. By the close of the conference, participants not only had collected a significant amount of information but also had exchanged perspectives. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical exper- tise, in accordance with procedures approved by NRC’s Report Review Committee. The purposes of this indepen- dent review are to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. The conference committee thanks the following indi- viduals for their review of this report: David J. Forken- brock, University of Iowa, Iowa City; Francis B. Francois, Consultant, Washington, D.C.; Charles E. Howard, Jr., Puget Sound Regional Council, Seattle, Washington; Ashby Johnson, Houston–Galveston Area Council, Houston, Texas; Lee Schipper, World Resources Institute, Washington, D.C.; and Sarah J. Siwek, Sarah J. Siwek and Associates, Inc., Los Angeles, California. Although the reviewers listed above provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations, nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of this report was overseen by C. Michael Walton, University of Texas at Austin. Appointed by NRC, he was responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibil- ity for the final content of this report rests entirely with the authoring committee and the institution. INTEGRATING SUSTAINABILITY INTO THE TRANSPORTATION PLANNING PROCESSv i i i