IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/trapol/v57y2017icp79-89.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Considering health in US metropolitan long-range transportation plans: A review of guidance statements and performance measures

Author

Listed:
  • Singleton, Patrick A.
  • Clifton, Kelly J.

Abstract

Transportation influences health primarily and most directly through traffic safety, air quality, physical activity, and accessibility. Despite the importance of all four components, only safety and air quality are typically considered during institutionalized transportation planning processes. This paper assesses how health impacts are considered in transportation planning by focusing on the long-range transportation plans that US metropolitan planning organizations develop. We analyzed the content of current plans from 25 large regions, reviewing how policy guidance statements and supporting performance measures addressed health. Goals and objectives exhibited an incomplete perspective of transportation's effects on health, focusing on safety, accessibility, and air quality, neglecting physical activity. Regional policies reflected national goals and planning requirements, which are rarely framed from a health perspective. Performance measures generally followed policy guidance, although measures of health and physical activity were lacking. Increased attention to the development of health-related performance measures and the data and analysis tools to support them is needed. By assessing the state of the practice and discussing potential approaches, this review informs a stronger and more comprehensive consideration of health within the institutionalized structure of US metropolitan transportation planning.

Suggested Citation

  • Singleton, Patrick A. & Clifton, Kelly J., 2017. "Considering health in US metropolitan long-range transportation plans: A review of guidance statements and performance measures," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 79-89.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:trapol:v:57:y:2017:i:c:p:79-89
    DOI: 10.1016/j.tranpol.2017.02.003
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0967070X17301038
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.tranpol.2017.02.003?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Handy, Susan L & McCann, Barbara & Bailey, Linda & Ernst, Michelle & McRee, Lanier & Meharg, Emily & Ewing, Reid & Wright, Kate, 2009. "The Regional Response to Federal Funding for Bicycle and Pedestrian Projects," Institute of Transportation Studies, Working Paper Series qt26j7x815, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Davis.
    2. Karner, Alex & Niemeier, Deb, 2013. "Civil rights guidance and equity analysis methods for regional transportation plans: a critical review of literature and practice," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 33(C), pages 126-134.
    3. Manaugh, Kevin & Badami, Madhav G. & El-Geneidy, Ahmed M., 2015. "Integrating social equity into urban transportation planning: A critical evaluation of equity objectives and measures in transportation plans in North America," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 167-176.
    4. Lee, Richard J. & Sener, Ipek N., 2016. "Transportation planning and quality of life: Where do they intersect?," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 146-155.
    5. Broach, Joseph & Dill, Jennifer & Gliebe, John, 2012. "Where do cyclists ride? A route choice model developed with revealed preference GPS data," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 46(10), pages 1730-1740.
    6. Maizlish, N. & Woodcock, J. & Co, S. & Ostro, B. & Fanai, A. & Fairley, D., 2013. "Health cobenefits and transportation-related reductions in greenhouse gas emissions in the San Francisco Bay Area," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 103(4), pages 703-709.
    7. Susan Handy & Barbara McCann, 2011. "The Regional Response to Federal Funding for Bicycle and Pedestrian Projects," Journal of the American Planning Association, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 77(1), pages 23-38.
    8. Martens, Karel & Golub, Aaron & Robinson, Glenn, 2012. "A justice-theoretic approach to the distribution of transportation benefits: Implications for transportation planning practice in the United States," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 46(4), pages 684-695.
    9. Deakin, Elizabeth, 2007. "Equity and Environmental Justice in Sustainable Transportation: Toward A Research Agenda," University of California Transportation Center, Working Papers qt9607n3t9, University of California Transportation Center.
    10. Edward Weiner, 2013. "Urban Transportation Planning in the United States," Springer Books, Springer, edition 4, number 978-1-4614-5407-6, June.
    11. Clifton, Kelly J. & Singleton, Patrick A. & Muhs, Christopher D. & Schneider, Robert J., 2016. "Representing pedestrian activity in travel demand models: Framework and application," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 111-122.
    12. Innes, Judith E. & Gruber, Judith, 2005. "Planning Styles in Conflict: The Metropolitan Transportation Commission," University of California Transportation Center, Working Papers qt6pf9k6sk, University of California Transportation Center.
    13. McCann, Barbara & McRee, Lanier & Handy, Susan L & Meharg, Emily & Bailey, Linda & Ewing, Reid & Ernst, Michelle & Wright, Kate, 2009. "The Regional Response to Federal Fundingfor Bicycle and Pedestrian Projects: Executive Summary," Institute of Transportation Studies, Working Paper Series qt24r3f8h2, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Davis.
    14. Handy, Susan, 2008. "Regional transportation planning in the US: An examination of changes in technical aspects of the planning process in response to changing goals," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 15(2), pages 113-126, March.
    15. Golub, Aaron & Martens, Karel, 2014. "Using principles of justice to assess the modal equity of regional transportation plans," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 10-20.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Sun, Yu & Cui, Yin, 2018. "Evaluating the coordinated development of economic, social and environmental benefits of urban public transportation infrastructure: Case study of four Chinese autonomous municipalities," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 116-126.
    2. Iroz-Elardo, Nicole & Schoner, Jessica & Fox, Eric H. & Brookes, Allen & Frank, Lawrence D., 2020. "Active travel and social justice: Addressing disparities and promoting health equity through a novel approach to Regional Transportation Planning," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 261(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Krapp, Agustina & Barajas, Jesus & Wennink, Audrey, 2021. "Equity-oriented Criteria for Project Prioritization in Regional Transportation Planning," SocArXiv xcbhy, Center for Open Science.
    2. Karner, Alex, 2016. "Planning for transportation equity in small regions: Towards meaningful performance assessment," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 46-54.
    3. Braun, Lindsay M. & Rodriguez, Daniel A. & Gordon-Larsen, Penny, 2019. "Social (in)equity in access to cycling infrastructure: Cross-sectional associations between bike lanes and area-level sociodemographic characteristics in 22 large U.S. cities," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    4. Sunio, Varsolo & Fillone, Alexis & Abad, Raymund Paolo & Rivera, Joyce & Guillen, Marie Danielle, 2023. "Why does demand-based transport planning persist? Insights from social practice theory," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 111(C).
    5. Allen, Jeff & Farber, Steven, 2019. "Sizing up transport poverty: A national scale accounting of low-income households suffering from inaccessibility in Canada, and what to do about it," SocArXiv ua2gj, Center for Open Science.
    6. Ben-Elia, Eran & Benenson, Itzhak, 2019. "A spatially-explicit method for analyzing the equity of transit commuters' accessibility," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 31-42.
    7. Allen, Jeff & Farber, Steven, 2019. "Sizing up transport poverty: A national scale accounting of low-income households suffering from inaccessibility in Canada, and what to do about it," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 214-223.
    8. Iroz-Elardo, Nicole & Schoner, Jessica & Fox, Eric H. & Brookes, Allen & Frank, Lawrence D., 2020. "Active travel and social justice: Addressing disparities and promoting health equity through a novel approach to Regional Transportation Planning," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 261(C).
    9. Boisjoly, Geneviève & Serra, Bernardo & Oliveira, Gabriel T. & El-Geneidy, Ahmed, 2020. "Accessibility measurements in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Curitiba and Recife, Brazil," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    10. Karner, Alex & Niemeier, Deb, 2013. "Civil rights guidance and equity analysis methods for regional transportation plans: a critical review of literature and practice," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 33(C), pages 126-134.
    11. Heyer, Johanna & Palm, Matthew & Niemeier, Deb, 2020. "Are we keeping up? Accessibility, equity and air quality in regional planning," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).
    12. Sukaryavichute, Elina & Prytherch, David L., 2018. "Transit planning, access, and justice: Evolving visions of bus rapid transit and the Chicago street," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 58-72.
    13. Pereira, Rafael H.M., 2019. "Future accessibility impacts of transport policy scenarios: Equity and sensitivity to travel time thresholds for Bus Rapid Transit expansion in Rio de Janeiro," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 321-332.
    14. Sun, Zhe & Zacharias, John, 2020. "Transport equity as relative accessibility in a megacity: Beijing," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 8-19.
    15. Raoul S. Liévanos & Amy Lubitow & Julius Alexander McGee, 2019. "Misrecognition in a Sustainability Capital: Race, Representation, and Transportation Survey Response Rates in the Portland Metropolitan Area," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(16), pages 1-33, August.
    16. Boisjoly, Geneviève & El-Geneidy, Ahmed M., 2017. "The insider: A planners' perspective on accessibility," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 33-43.
    17. Cui, Boer & Boisjoly, Geneviève & El-Geneidy, Ahmed & Levinson, David, 2019. "Accessibility and the journey to work through the lens of equity," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 269-277.
    18. Nazari Adli, Saeid & Donovan, Stuart, 2018. "Right to the city: Applying justice tests to public transport investments," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 56-65.
    19. Linovski, Orly & Baker, Dwayne Marshall & Manaugh, Kevin, 2018. "Equity in practice? Evaluations of equity in planning for bus rapid transit," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 75-87.
    20. Xingchuan Gao & Tao Li & Xiaoshu Cao, 2019. "Spatial Fairness and Changes in Transport Infrastructure in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Area from 1976 to 2016," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-16, January.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:trapol:v:57:y:2017:i:c:p:79-89. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/30473/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.