The mission of Colorado’s Energy Smart Transportation Initiative was to develop a framework for considering energy efficiency and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in transportation decision-making. With SSTI assistance, a collaborative team composed of federal and state agencies, MPOs, and rural planning partners came together to leverage resources and promote efficiency and effectiveness among agencies by exploring ways to develop “energy smart transportation” strategies. This report includes strategies developed to incorporate energy efficiency and GHG emissions in transportation planning, increase energy efficiency and reduce GHG emissions from transportation, advance environmentally friendly alternative vehicle and fuel technologies, and increase efficiency through truck fleet enhancements, improved traveler information, and other methods.
Organizational Reform
The Nature of Context-Sensitive Solutions, Stakeholder Involvement and Critical Issues in the Urban Context (Mineta Transportation Institute, 2011)
Many transportation and planning agencies experience conflicting demands emerging from the need to develop projects in an expeditious manner while at the same time involving stakeholders in the decision-making process. This study examines the issue in the …
Metropolitan Planning Organization Reform
Overview Since the early 1990s, federal law has increased the authority of Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs), and pending federal legislation is likely to give them additional spending powers and responsibilities. Yet, as important arms of local government, MPOs are …
SSTI Review of Washington State DOT’s Sustainability Efforts (SSTI, 2011)
This review was performed at the request of Washington State DOT (WSDOT) to assess its sustainability efforts. SSTI convened a panel of experts that included people who have led transformative initiatives as heads of state DOTs. The panel combined practical and academic thinking. The expert panel reviewed background materials on WSDOT’s efforts and then interviewed stakeholders with varying perspectives on WSDOT’s work, including WSDOT staff; personnel from other state, federal, and local entities; and representatives from the not-for-profit sector. Intended as a peer review rather than an audit, the expert panel members brought their knowledge of transportation policy and trends to bear in assessing where WSDOT has succeeded and how its sustainability efforts could be strengthened.
Five Easy Pieces: MPO Reform (Center for State Innovation, n.d.)
Since the early 1990s, federal law has increased the authority of municipal planning organizations (MPOs), and pending federal legislation may give them further spending powers and responsibilities. However, many of these organizations lack population-proportional representation, …