Title

The Evolution of Transportation Planning – The Shift from Mobility to Accessibility

Time

1:40 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Location

1605 Tilia, Room 1103, West Village

Abstract

Transportation planning in California and the U.S. was largely focused on mobility over the past few decades.  An evolutionary shift in that practice started in the late 1990s when accessibility started to garner more attention and has taken firm root today.  Part of the shift is directly related to external forces affecting transportation planning practice such as new laws and regulations.  Most significant in California are SB 97, SB 375 and SB 743.  These laws and their associated regulations are leveling the transportation planning playing field such that accessibility is now a required analysis across the multiple scales of planning (i.e., state, regional, community, and project).  More importantly, planners looking at the world through an ‘accessibility lens’ are recognizing that land use is an essential part of solving transportation problems.  This presentation will focus on the evolutionary story that is playing out today regarding mobility vs accessibility especially in light of regulatory changes and the fundamental influence they are having on the state of transportation planning practice.

Biographical Sketch

During his 20+ years of professional work, he has completed a wide variety of projects throughout the western U.S ranging from federal and state guidance to local impact or circulation plans.  His work includes consulting, research, and expert panel/witness testimony.  Some examples of Ron’s work includes:

• LOS Gets a Failing Grade (iBook), iTunes;
• Handbook for Estimating Transportation Greenhouse Gases for Integration into the Planning Process, FHWA;
• Transportation Analysis Report Annotated Outline and Guidelines, Caltrans;
• FHWA expert panel for the White House Area Transportation Study;
• Advisory committee for Caltrans’ “Assessment of Local Models and Tools for Analyzing Smart-Growth Strategies”;
• California CTC working groups on travel modeling guidelines for Regional Transportation Plans under AB32 and SB 375;
• OPR technical committee developing SB 226 performance measures; and
• Consultant to OPR developing SB 743 implementation guidance.

In addition to Ron’s work experience he has also published over 20 professional papers and is the lead instructor for the U.C. Davis Extension Program’s – The Intersection Between Transportation and Land Use.