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Transportation Planning – Overview
OVERVIEW • FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS • MODELING 101
The metropolitan transportation-planning process is a means to bring people, information, and ideas together to inform regional transportation decisions. The process encompasses not only considerations such as mobility, accessibility, and connectivity, but also economic vitality, the environment, social equity, safety, security, and financial constraints.

The keystone of the process is the collaborative participation of transportation agencies/organizations, elected officials, transportation-issue advocates, and the general public.

Metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) are the forum for the planning process. Within that forum, the region´s short- and long-term needs are assessed, a vision for the future is developed, and funding for projects and programs to support that vision is allocated.

The federal government refers to this work as the 3C process, because it requires that the process be continuing, cooperative, and comprehensive:
  • Continuing: Planning must be maintained as an ongoing activity and should address both short-term needs and the long-term vision for the region.
  • Cooperative: The process must involve a wide variety of interested parties through a public-participation process.
  • Comprehensive: The process must cover all transportation modes and be consistent with regional and local land-use and economic-development plans.
MPOs must follow the 3C process in order to be certified and eligible to receive federal funds. Three required documents are produced by MPOs at regular intervals: the Transportation Plan, the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), and the Unified Planning Work Program. Both the Plan and the TIP include air quality conformity analyses to ensure consistency with the region´s air quality goals.

In addition to producing those three documents, some MPOs, including the Boston Region MPO, are required to conduct an ongoing Congestion Management Process (CMP). The Boston Region MPO calls its CMP the Mobility Management System.