National Academies Press: OpenBook

Linking Community Visioning and Highway Capacity Planning (2012)

Chapter: Chapter 1 Project Background

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Page 7
Suggested Citation:"Chapter 1 Project Background." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2012. Linking Community Visioning and Highway Capacity Planning. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14580.
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Page 7
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter 1 Project Background." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2012. Linking Community Visioning and Highway Capacity Planning. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14580.
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Page 8
Page 9
Suggested Citation:"Chapter 1 Project Background." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2012. Linking Community Visioning and Highway Capacity Planning. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14580.
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Page 9

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7C H A P T E R 1 Purpose of the Project SHRP 2 developed a planning and project decision-making framework to integrate transportation considerations with community, socioeconomic, and environmental issues, through collaborative decision making. This research has led to development of a Decision Guide as a tool for prac- titioners to reach balanced, consensus-driven decisions for enhancing transportation capacity. This project supports these research efforts by developing a blueprint for visioning linked closely to the Decision Guide. The objective of this project is to determine the role of vision- ing processes and the means to link visioning outputs within the Decision Guide’s transportation planning processes. Visioning in support of transportation planning offers the opportunity to match public expectations to project out- comes, to enhance consensus decision making, and to better integrate transportation, community, socioeconomic, and environmental considerations. A secondary but important product of this project is a sup- porting website, Transportation–Visioning for Communities (T-VIZ), which interactively presents the Vision Guide blue- print process and fully integrates the research findings of this project (Cambridge Systematics, Inc. 2011). Research Approach Research for this project was conducted through the 10 tasks described below. Task 1: Compile Background Information on Visioning Processes The objective of Task 1 was to document lessons learned, key aspects, and relevant background information on prior vision- ing processes conducted since the early 1990s. The work was conducted through the following steps: • Conduct a literature review to complete an introduction on the state of the art of visioning after the 1991 passing of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA). Using reviews of existing academic literature and state and federal policy guidance on successful visioning, the purposes, evolution, and adaptation of visioning were documented. • Compile case studies and complete practitioner interviews to document the key lessons learned from visioning pro- cesses. Twenty case studies were selected to represent a diversity of geographic scale, community context, topical scope, and level of effort. The case studies were assembled based on telephone interviews with practitioners and addi- tional background research. • Complete a working paper and case study compendium to produce an introduction to visioning and evolution of the visioning process. Findings from this foundational research and case study documentation were used to inform the research and presentation of subsequent tasks. Task 2: Describe Transportation Infrastructure Impacts on Communities The objective of Task 2 was to describe how to incorporate quality of life and community context concerns into a vision- ing process by establishing appropriate indicators and mea- sures. The work was completed through the following steps: • Conduct a literature review to compile available research on quality of life and the impact of transportation on commu- nities at the local, regional, and state levels. Research was synthesized, and a database was compiled of relevant com- munity context screening tools. These tools are presented interactively on the project website, including links to rele- vant examples. • Review related SHRP 2 Capacity research to include work products and materials from Capacity Project C02 (Perfor- mance Measurement Framework for Highway Capacity Project Background

8Decision Making), Capacity Project C03 (Interactions Between Transportation Capacity, Economic Systems, and Land Use), and case studies from Task 1 of this project to identify community impact analysis practices, measures, and results. • Prepare a working paper on considering communities that would become Chapter 5 of this report. Task 3: Identify a Stakeholder Outreach Program The objective of Task 3 was to identify common outreach tools and techniques that support effective stakeholder engage- ment processes for visioning and that enable practitioners to build lasting public support. The work was completed through the following steps: • Complete a literature review to compile public involvement tools and techniques for engaging stakeholders in trans- portation planning processes. The review focused on rel- evant guidance, publications, noteworthy practices, and case studies on effective outreach programs of visioning processes in support of transportation planning. • Conduct practitioner interviews to identify emerging best practices in stakeholder outreach methods, tools, and approaches. Interviews were incorporated as part of the Task 1 case study development, and were designed to explore general best practices and how visioning outreach tools sup- port collaboration attributes identified in other SHRP 2 area research. • Develop a guide to visioning outreach tools to help practitio- ners select from the range of available tools and techniques to focus on those most appropriate to specific activity areas within a visioning process. The tools and techniques within the guide are presented interactively on the project web- site, including links to relevant examples. • Prepare a working paper on reaching stakeholders that would become Chapter 6 of this report. Task 4: Describe Effective Partnering Strategies Task 4’s objective was to identify purposes, structures, and common models of internal and external partnerships that help ensure success of a visioning process from inception to implementation. The work was completed through the following steps: • Complete a literature review to compile information on partnership models and functions. The review went beyond the scope of the literature within the transporta- tion industry; the majority of work on this topic has been completed in organizational management and other areas of study. • Document partnership models to draw on information from case study findings in Task 1. The methods and models used in the case studies were documented and reviewed for best practices and lessons learned. • Prepare research results for inclusion in the report’s section on forming partnerships, now Chapter 7. Task 5: Develop a Sound Commitment Tracking Process The objective of Task 5 was to describe a performance-based commitment tracking process that ensures that core princi- ples, consensus outcomes, and committed results from the vision are incorporated and embodied in project delivery. The work was completed through the following steps: • Complete a practice review to compile and document data on processes and commitment tracking systems in use by transportation agencies. • Develop a prototypical process to describe a generic com- mitment tracking process that extends from visioning through planning and project development to mainte- nance of infrastructure. The process is illustrated through a flow diagram, supplemented with descriptions of each process step. • Assess the process to provide a recommended commitment tracking process, and integrate the process into the imple- mentation phase of the Vision Guide. • Prepare a working paper on tracking commitments that would become Chapter 8 of this report. Task 6: Prepare a Business Case The objective of Task 6 was to prepare decision criteria and business case guidance for assessing the benefits and costs of conducting visioning in support of transportation planning. The work was completed through the following steps: • Assess benefits and costs, drawing on information collected through interviews during the case study process and extensive background literature review. This assessment focuses on the qualitative aspects of visioning benefits, including the quality of and public satisfaction with proj- ects, and degrees of public and elected official support. • Assess agency risks and trade-offs to provide a set of decision factors or high-level guidance for agency managers to assess the intangible trade-offs, risks, and rewards of involvement in a visioning process. • Prepare a working paper that would become Chapter 3 of this report.

9Task 7: Develop a Model Vision Process and Practitioner’s Guide The objective of Task 7 was to develop a model vision process relevant to a range of types and contexts, and to produce a draft Practitioner’s Guide. This work was completed through the following steps: • Design a model vision process through the review of case studies, expert opinion, Task 1 interviews with practitio- ners, and reviews of existing literature. The model vision process developed is modular and customizable to serve as a general outline to guide any agency through a vision (see Chapter 2). • Document visioning input linkages into the Decision Guide by including key decision points within the model process. These decision points link directly into the Decision Guide and provide an easy way for a convener agency to apply the outputs of a vision to transportation processes. • Produce a Practitioner’s Guide that integrates the results of research to date into an interactive, web-based Practitio- ner’s Guide to help practitioners apply visioning in sup- port of transportation planning. Task 8: Vet the Draft Practitioner’s Guide The objective of Task 8 was to determine the utility of the draft Practitioner’s Guide for transportation agencies, key part- ners, and practitioners. The work was conducted through the following steps: • Identify potential venues for vetting to target a range of practitioner audiences. The project team secured presen- tation time at three well-attended 2010 events: the Amer- ican Planning Association Conference in New Orleans; the Context-Sensitive Solutions National Dialogue in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota; and the TRB Environ- mental Meeting in Raleigh, North Carolina. In each case, the Practitioner’s Guide was presented to attendants, and feedback was solicited. • Create a feedback mechanism to gather broad input through an online survey and dedicated comment e-mail address, hosted online on the draft Practitioner’s Guide website. Feedback from respondents was requested at each of the three vetting venues, and an e-mail was sent to request fur- ther feedback. • Compile the review comments to synthesize results, and coordinate with the project panel’s comments to incor- porate suggested revisions into the final Practitioner’s Guide as part of Task 9. An overview of the vetting plan is included as Appendix B. Task 9: Revise Practitioner’s Guide and Prepare Technical Report The objective of Task 9 was to revise the draft Practitioner’s Guide based on the results of the Task 8 review and com- ments from the Technical Expert Task Group, and to develop the project’s final report. The task was completed through the following steps: • Revise the draft Practitioner’s Guide and respond to input received during the Technical Expert Task Group review and testing results obtained in Task 8. • Prepare a draft of the final technical report to compile and document all research completed for this project, includ- ing the background, rationale, and structure of the Practi- tioner’s Guide. • Conduct a review and comment period to allow for feedback from the project panel for input into the completed draft final technical report. • Prepare and submit the final technical report and Practitioner’s Guide to incorporate the panel’s comments, and prepare the final products of the technical report and Practitioner’s Guide, including the project website. Task 10: Create Training Products The objective of Task 10 was to develop, implement, and sup- port an electronic-based training tool that instructs practitio- ners how to use the model vision process, and how the outcomes of visioning techniques can be integrated into transportation planning and project development decision making. The work was completed through the following steps: • Evaluate alternatives to determine the best electronic media options and specific form to be used, including webinars (which then can be made accessible for subsequent replay). • Develop a set of training objectives to provide an overall training outline, based on research conducted. • Create and provide online training products that will then be hosted on the project website for a viewing audience. Three presentations describing the project background, how to navigate the Vision Guide, and how to implement the Vision Guide were recorded and posted on the Techni- cal Resources page of the T-VIZ website (Cambridge Sys- tematics, Inc. 2011).

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TRB’s second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP 2) Report S2-C08-RR-1: Linking Community Visioning and Highway Capacity Planning explores community visioning efforts, identifies steps and activities that might be considered when engaging in visioning, and highlights the links between vision outcomes and transportation planning and project development processes.

The report also presents a model—the Vision Guide—that is a blueprint for preparing, creating, and implementing a visioning process. As part of the project that produced Report S2-C08-RR-1, a companion web tool was also developed. The web tool, Transportation—Visioning for Communities (T-VIZ), is the interactive version of the Vision Guide.

Appendixes to the report, which are available only in electronic format, are as follows:

• Appendix A: Case Study Summaries

• Appendix B: Considering Communities

• Appendix C: Stakeholder Outreach Resources

• Appendix D: Commitment Tracking

An e-book version of this report is available for purchase at Google, iTunes, and Amazon.

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