Urban transportation planning in the U.S.: an historical overview. Part 1

Abstract

Abstract This article provides an overview of approximately 50 years of urban transportation planning history. It begins with developments in highway planning in the early 1930s and ends with the shift to decentralization of decision‐making authority in the 1980s. The key event during this period was the Federal‐Aid Highway Act of 1962 which created the federal mandate for a continuing, comprehensive urban transportation planning process carried out cooperatively by states and local governments. Planning processes and procedures evolved over the years as new issues and concerns were raised and changes in attitudes and priorities occurred. Planning processes have become more complex and sophisticated but have retained many of the earlier elements and objectives. The evolution is still continuing with the objective of improving procedures and institutions that are adapted to the needs and concerns of today's planners, citizens and decision‐makers.