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Special Reports - Transportation
NADO Research Foundation's Rural Transportation Blog
Four Corners Rural Transportation Forum: Summary of a Peer Learning Exchange
In May 2010, a small group of regional transportation planning practitioners convened
in Park City, Utah for two days of facilitated discussion and presentations. Participants
shared information about best practices and emerging issues in their regions on a variety of
rural transportation planning and economic development issues, including rural transportation
safety, livability in rural areas and relationship-building with Tribal nations. Read this
summary of the event to learn about issues and practices in rural transportation planning in
Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah.
(July 2010, 12 pages): View the report (PDF)
Integrating Land Use, Transportation and Economic Development in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania initiated a statewide effort to integrate land use, transportation
and economic development at the regional level through a process known as LUTED, under
which the state’s regional planning and development organizations developed regional
visions and strategies to identify projects related to multiple issue areas. In April 2010,
the NADO Research Foundation held a Peer Exchange event in Pennsylvania to learn more about
this effort. At this event, a group of transportation planning practitioners from rural
and small metropolitan regions across the nation visited three regional planning and
economic development organizations based in Pennsylvania: the Southern Alleghenies
Planning and Development Commission, SEDA-Council of Governments and Southwestern
Pennsylvania Commission. This proceedings report describes the background of regional planning and the LUTED process in Pennsylvania, and provides case studies of how the three organizations observed on the Peer Exchange approached the integration of land use, transportation and economic development planning in their regions.
(July 2010, 36 pages): View the report (PDF)
Natural Gas Drilling in the Marcellus Shale: Economic Opportunities and Infrastructure Challenges
This issue brief examines the natural gas drilling boom in the U.S. and associated economic opportunities and infrastructure challenges, including strains on local transportation networks and other types of infrastructure as well as environmental impact concerns. The publication explores how regional development organizations in Pennsylvania and New York are addressing these challenges, and what sort of measures can be taken to ensure that natural gas extraction brings the best possible benefits to regions and communities, while minimizing potential negative effects.
(May 2010, 16 pages): View the report (PDF)
Four Corners Rural Transportation Forum: Summary of a Conference
In August 2009, a small group of transportation and DOT planners convened for two days of facilitated discussion on planning issues. Read the discussion summary to learn about issues and practices in rural transportation planning in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah.
(March 2010, 8 pages): View the report (PDF)
2009 National Scan: Rural Transportation Planning Organizations
This report provides an overview of characteristics of rural planning
organizations (RPOs) and similar organizations, based on a scan emailed to
regional organizations in April and May 2009.
(June 2009, 8 pages):
View the report (PDF)
Role of Transportation Planning in the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy Process: A Nationwide Scan
This research report identifies the extent and methods used by economic
development districts to incorporate transportation plans, projects,
stakeholders, and issues into the regions' comprehensive economic development
strategy (CEDS) documents. The research team also identified and described
promising practices and case studies. This report was produced by the Center
for Governmental Studies at Northern Illinois University under contract to
the NADO Research Foundation's Center for Transportation Advancement and Regional Development.
(April 2009, 78 pages):
View the report (PDF)
Metropolitan and Rural Transportation Planning: Case Studies and Checklists for Regional Collaboration
The guide provides checklists complete with a series of steps that
planning organizations can take to enhance their level of collaboration on
a variety of planning topics. The report also offers several case studies
describing how such steps have been taken by MPOs, RPOs and their planning
partners.
(January 2009, 24 pages): View the report (PDF | HTML)
Local Development Districts: Pursuing Transportation-Led Economic Development
This report focuses on how improved rural transportation corridors
in Appalachia can benefit from economic growth and development.
(February 2009, 8 pages):
View the report (PDF)
Rural Local Officials Consultation Assessement Guide
This Guide is intended to provide rural local elected and appointed
officials, along with their regional planning organizations, with a framework
for appraising the effectiveness, timeliness and results of their involvement
and input into the statewide transportation planning and decision-making
processes within their respective states.
(September 2008, 24 pages):
View the report (PDF)
View the accompanying presentation (PowerPoint file | PDF)
Arrowhead Region: A Portfolio of Transportation Assets
This report showcases the role of the Arrowhead
Regional Development Commission in supporting the Duluth-Superior Metropolitan
Interstate Council (the MPO for the metro area), in partnership with the
Northwest Regional Planning Commission in Wisconsin, and the Northeast
Minnesota Area Transportation Partnership, the rural-based transportation
planning body for an eight-county region. It also features an interview
with Congressman James L. Oberstar (D-MN), Chairman of the U.S. House
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
(June 2008, 20 pages):
View the report (PDF)
Short Line Railroads: Saving an Endangered Species of Freight Transport
This report highlights the action of the Southern Tier West
Regional Planning and Development Board and the SEDA-Council of Governments
to form rail authorities and save short rail lines that would have otherwise
been abandoned. These lines continue to be critical for economic development,
with rail infrastructure being central to creating and retaining jobs in each
region.
(April 2008, 20 pages):
View the report (PDF)
Southeast Tennessee Transportation: Positioning the Chattanooga Region in the Global Economy
This report explores the Chattanooga region's multi-modal transportation
system and its role in retaining the region's economic competitiveness in the
global marketplace. It describes the economic significance that both current
and proposed transportation corridors play in moving goods and people across
and through the region in an efficient and safe manner. It also
it demonstrates the importance of regionally-based strategies,
intergovernmental and regional cooperation among state and local officials,
and the need to link urban and rural portions of a region.
(September 2007, 12 pages):
View the report (PDF)
Regional Alliance Pulls Toyota to Tupelo: PUL Alliance Efforts Attract New Jobs
The NADO Research Foundation's Center for Transportation Advancement and
Regional Development has released a new special report examining the
multi-county alliance and transportation infrastructure that made the
Northeast Mississippi region attractive to Toyota, which announced plans
to build an automotive assembly plant there in early 2007.
(August 2007, 12 pages):
View the report (PDF)
Ethanol Production Impacts Transportation System
The NADO Research Foundation's Center for Transportation Advancement and
Regional Development has released this new issue brief which examines the
regional and local transportation impacts of the ethanol fuels industry.
(July 2007, 6 pages):
View the report (PDF)
Session Presentations: Southwestern and New England Rural Transportation Peer Learning Forums
The material catalogued in this special report was presented by transportation
practitioners and experts at two multi-state transportation forums conducted by NADO's
RPO America and the NADO Research Foundation's Center for Transportation
Advancement and Regional Development. Both forums took place in May 2007.
The report includes the agenda, speaker biographies, presentations and handouts.
(June 2007, 265 pages): Email info@nado.org
to order free copies of the report.
Transit and Air Quality Make a Connection
This issue paper highlights how many regional development organizations
are increasingly looking to public transportation as a way to resolve commuting challenges in their
region, which has not only impacted rural and small metropolitan communities
economically, but has also made an impact on the environment.
(April 2007, 4 pages): View the issue paper (PDF)
Transportation Planning in Rural America: Emerging Models for Local Consultation, Regional Coordination and Rural Planning Organizations
The new report builds on the Research Foundation’s nearly ten years of studies into the emerging and evolving partnerships between state transportation agencies and regional development organizations with respect to facilitating and enhancing the involvement of rural local government officials in statewide planning, a process best described as the “gateway” for accessing federal surface transportation funds.
(December 2005, 36 pages): View the report (PDF)
Local Government Officials: Key Stakeholders in Rural Transportation Planning
The publication outlines the new federal requirements for state consultation with rural local officials on statewide transportation planning issues. The guide also features examples from various states, a glossary of transportation terms and a list of online transportation resources.
(January 2004, 6 pages): View the primer (PDF)
2004 Rural Transportation Survey Findings
This report highlights the increasing role of regional development organizations in the rural transportation planning process.
(January 2004, 6 pages): View the report (PDF)
Connecting to Today's Rural America
This report, published in partnership with Greyhound, provides an overview of the transportation issues and opportunities facing rural America. The report highlights opportunities to enhance transportation choices in rural America, it features insights on ways to leverage highway investments for economic development, and it talks about new federal requirements for rural local consultation with state DOTs.
(September 2000, 30 pages): View the report (PDF)
Public Transportation on the Move in Rural America
This report, authored by Dennis Brown, Regional Economist for the USDA
Economic Research Service, addresses the importance and impact of public
transit in rural communities. View the report
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