Regional Planning Organizations Research Articles

The perceived risk of the Line 5 Pipeline and spills under ice

Using the psychometric paradigm of risk in conjunction with surveys of the Michigan public (n = 638) and a regional planning organization (n = 65), we examine the perceived risk and concerns associated with underwater oil pipelines, the Enbridge Line 5 pipeline in particular, and oil spills under ice. The fate of Line 5 is heavily debated in Michigan, specifically the portion that traverses the Straits of Mackinac, which can be ice-covered for months. Scant literature examines how individuals perceive the risk associated with Line 5, its alternatives, or potential spills in open water or under ice. Here we identify considerable concern regarding both the pipeline and the potential for spills under ice on behalf of the public, and increased concern about spills under ice on behalf of the planning organization. Organization members' concerns are significantly predicted by beliefs about the difficulty in remediating spills, however not by beliefs about spills' likelihood, difficulty in detection, noticeability, or consequences. Our results identify the need to better examine and communicate the risks associated with underwater pipelines and spills, both in open water and under ice, as well as options for remediating oil captured under ice. Furthermore, we recommend the adoption of decision-making and risk governance processes that explicitly expand analysis of the social, economic and environmental tradeoffs of underwater pipelines such as Line 5.

A Return to State-Led Integrated Regional Planning? Emerging Approaches from Three U.S. States

After decades of neglect, several U.S. states have increased support for regional development planning, creating new programs, organizations, and funding streams to support it. Analysis of programs in three states (New York, Michigan, and Indiana) shows similarities among them as well as contrasts with prior episodes of state-led regional planning. The new programs deliberately sidestep older regional planning organizations like COGs and RPCs in favor of new organizations with larger roles for the private sector and greater access to public funds. The resulting plans focus on individual projects within a pro-development agenda, but still have potential to coordinate action at a regional scale.

El Mapa Integrado Andino del Norte

El Mapa Integrado Andino del Norte, es una iniciativa liderada por el Instituto Panamericano de Geografía e Historia (IPGH) y apoyada por CAF-Banco de Desarrollo de América Latina, en el contexto del Programa GeoSUR, que tiene por objeto desarrollar el Primer Mapa Integrado de los países Andinos del Norte a escala1:250.000 a través del trabajo coordinado de los Institutos Geográficos de Panamá, Colombia, Ecuador, Perú y Bolivia. Esta iniciativa contó con la asesoría especializada y coordinación técnica delCentro Nacional de Información Geográfica (CNIG) del Instituto Geográfico Nacional de España y con la contribución especial de la Sección Nacional del IPGH en Estados Unidos de América, a través del Programa de Asistencia Técnica Internacional del Departamento del Interior (DOI-ITAP), de la Agencia de los EstadosUnidos para el Desarrollo Internacional (USAID) y con la asesoría del Servicio Geológico de Estados Unidos (USGS). El mapa tiene por finalidad beneficiar al conjunto de usuarios de información geográfica de los países de la Comunidad Andina de Naciones a través de la disponibilidad y acceso a información cartográfica regional oficial, de calidad, integrada y armonizada a nivel supranacional. Este proyecto integra los principales elementos de la Hidrografía, Límites Administrativos, Poblados, Vías, Morfología del Terreno y algunos elementos considerados como indispensables para entender la geografía de cada país, agrupados bajo el titulo Miscelánea. Una metodología participativa permite integrar no solo criterios técnicos de lainformación geoespacial de cinco países, también permite asegurar la continuidad de este proyecto a través del compromiso e integración de los Institutos Geográficos oficiales de cada país, a una escala útil para la planificación regional y el ordenamiento del territorio.

Additional detail in aggregate integrated land-use models via simulating developer pro forma thinking

This paper describes an enhancement to MetroScope, the land-use model component of an integrated model suite used to answer current- and next-generation policy questions facing Oregon Metro (the Portland regional planning organization) and other public agencies. The enhancement is designed to simulate more-detailed housing developer decision processes within an overall aggregate spatial equilibrium model (SEM) framework via a pro forma paradigm. The paper enumerates the policy questions that motivated the enhancement, discusses the integrated model framework, briefly reviews levels of detail available in existing models as context, and frames potential future research directions for additional decision process detail that would be helpful in the consumer modules of the model and potentially other SEMs currently in use.

Regulatory Support Needed for Digital Revolution

State and federal regulators and regional planning organizations can support the digital shift by developing rules and regulations that support long‐term investment in digital technologies.

The Importance of the “Local” in Walkability

Transportation infrastructure and transportation behaviors consume significant natural resources and are costly to municipalities, states, and the federal government. Small cities, in particular, may find themselves with high costs. Although transportation has been extensively investigated, methods that may enable small cities to act are still lacking. To investigate the influence that neighborhood-level built environment characteristics have on adult personal transportation decisions within small cities, this study combined community-based research, a multi-level analysis of residents, and a case study approach in two (North-Eastern United States) New Hampshire cities, Portsmouth and Manchester. Neighborhood-level physical characteristics were determined using Geographic Information Systems and visual surveys. Resident-level characteristics and behaviors were determined by survey of adult residents. Data were supplemented with input from and collaboration with city representatives. The results showed significant relationships between self-reported destination walking and built environment characteristics in the neighborhoods studied. Furthermore, the results showed variability between neighborhoods, underscoring the importance of local factors and behaviors. The results suggested that small cities and their regional planning organizations can make changes to specific existing neighborhoods to remove barriers to walking and allow more residents to choose walking as a transportation mode, but the changes that are most effective vary by neighborhood.

Development and implementation of a remote-sensing and in situ data-assimilating version of CMAQ for operational PM2.5 forecasting. Part 1: MODIS aerosol optical depth (AOD) data-assimilation design and testing

This two-part paper reports on the development, implementation, and improvement of a version of the Community Multi-Scale Air Quality (CMAQ) model that assimilates real-time remotely-sensed aerosol optical depth (AOD) information and ground-based PM2.5 monitor data in routine prognostic application. The model is being used by operational air quality forecasters to help guide their daily issuance of state or local-agency-based air quality alerts (e.g. action days, health advisories). Part 1 describes the development and testing of the initial assimilation capability, which was implemented offline in partnership with NASA and the Visibility Improvement State and Tribal Association of the Southeast (VISTAS) Regional Planning Organization (RPO). In the initial effort, MODIS-derived aerosol optical depth (AOD) data are input into a variational data-assimilation scheme using both the traditional Dark Target and relatively new “Deep Blue” retrieval methods. Evaluation of the developmental offline version, reported in Part 1 here, showed sufficient promise to implement the capability within the online, prognostic operational model described in Part 2. In Part 2, the addition of real-time surface PM2.5 monitoring data to improve the assimilation and an initial evaluation of the prognostic modeling system across the continental United States (CONUS) is presented.Implications: Air quality forecasts are now routinely used to understand when air pollution may reach unhealthy levels. For the first time, an operational air quality forecast model that includes the assimilation of remotely-sensed aerosol optical depth and ground based PM2.5 observations is being used. The assimilation enables quantifiable improvements in model forecast skill, which improves confidence in the accuracy of the officially-issued forecasts. This helps air quality stakeholders be more effective in taking mitigating actions (reducing power consumption, ride-sharing, etc.) and avoiding exposures that could otherwise result in more serious air quality episodes or more deleterious health effects.

Metropolitan Governance Capacity and Climate Change Planning : Assessing Metropolitan Responses

With political inaction at the federal level in the U.S., there is increased attention on the importance of planning for climate change at the metropolitan level, where implementation of climate change policies would occur. This study reports on a survey of 25 regional planning organizations that was conducted to examine the extent to which regional planning organizations have adopted climate change plans and to identify the factors that impact their ability to take metropolitan level action in regards to climate change initiatives. The findings revealed a majority of regional planning organizations are involved in climate change planning in some way, largely due to existing efforts in complementary policy domains. Based on the findings, a multi-level framework is developed for assessing the institutional capacity of metropolitan governance capacity in climate change policy and planning. Employing this framework would allow regional planning organizations to assess their capacity to address climate change...

Development and validation of a direct mode choice model

A direct discrete mode choice model is introduced using relative attributes of competing modes as well as socioeconomic characteristics of travelers. The model is calibrated and validated for two available historic databases in the Dallas–Fort Worth region. The validation is conducted against the outputs of a current nested logit model used by the regional planning organization as well as the observed values based on transit ridership surveys for a newly inaugurated commuter rail service. The calibrated model is applied after the introduction of this new transit mode. The results show that the estimated mode shares by the proposed model have a statistically better consistency with the observed values than the estimates of the conventional nested logit model. Unlike the logit model, the structure of the direct model based on relative attributes also has the advantage of not needing recalibration each time a new travel mode is introduced. The model is found to be easier to calibrate and produces more accurate results than the nested logit model, commonly used by many metropolitan planning organizations.

Incorporating regional growth into forecasts of greenhouse gas emissions from project-level residential and commercial development

To better understand the greenhouse gas (GHG) implications of land use planning decisions, regional planning organizations have developed tools to forecast the emissions from project-level residential and commercial development. This paper reviews the state of GHG emissions forecasting methods for project-level development. We argue that when forecasting changes in regional emissions it is important to make explicit what is assumed about a project′s effect on the population of residents and businesses in the region. We present five regional growth assumptions capturing the range of ways that project-level development might influence (i) construction and occupancy of similar developments elsewhere in a region and (ii) relocation of the initial activities that occur on-site before the project is built. We show that current forecasting tools inconsistently address the latter when they are interpreted as forecasted changes in regional emissions. Using a case study in Yolo County, California we demonstrate that forecasted changes in regional emissions are greatly affected by the regional growth assumption. In the absence of information about which regional growth assumption is accurate, we provide guidelines for selection of a conservative regional growth assumption.

TV, Boon or Bane? Participation and a Televised Town Meeting

As a public participation tool, television has been particularly vexing for planners who see promise in its ability to reach large audiences, but have issues with its expense and love of “sound-bites”. In 2009, a regional planning organization in the middle of the USA put the power of television to the test with a live televised town meeting. This study evaluates the event's effectiveness using democratic principles. The program was successful at reaching huge numbers in a short time period, at being inspiring, at increasing political efficacy, and at creating networks. It fell short, however, where the medium of television is inherently undemocratic (in the timing and scheduling of the show and engagement, in expense, and in reinforcing passivity). Comparing the strengths and weaknesses of television reveals that planners can use television to its best participatory advantage when they focus on collaborative participation and when they have realistic expectations.

Modeling natural emissions in the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) Model–I: building an emissions data base

Abstract. A natural emissions inventory for the continental United States and surrounding territories is needed in order to use the US Environmental Protection Agency Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) Model for simulating natural air quality. The CMAQ air modeling system (including the Sparse Matrix Operator Kernel Emissions (SMOKE) emissions processing system) currently estimates non-methane volatile organic compound (NMVOC) emissions from biogenic sources, nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from soils, ammonia from animals, several types of particulate and reactive gas emissions from fires, as well as sea salt emissions. However, there are several emission categories that are not commonly treated by the standard CMAQ Model system. Most notable among these are nitrogen oxide emissions from lightning, reduced sulfur emissions from oceans, geothermal features and other continental sources, windblown dust particulate, and reactive chlorine gas emissions linked with sea salt chloride. A review of past emissions modeling work and existing global emissions data bases provides information and data necessary for preparing a more complete natural emissions data base for CMAQ applications. A model-ready natural emissions data base is developed to complement the anthropogenic emissions inventory used by the VISTAS Regional Planning Organization in its work analyzing regional haze based on the year 2002. This new data base covers a modeling domain that includes the continental United States plus large portions of Canada, Mexico and surrounding oceans. Comparing July 2002 source data reveals that natural emissions account for 16% of total gaseous sulfur (sulfur dioxide, dimethylsulfide and hydrogen sulfide), 44% of total NOx, 80% of reactive carbonaceous gases (NMVOCs and carbon monoxide), 28% of ammonia, 96% of total chlorine (hydrochloric acid, nitryl chloride and sea salt chloride), and 84% of fine particles (i.e., those smaller than 2.5 μm in size) released into the atmosphere. The seasonality and relative importance of the various natural emissions categories are described.

Key Scientific Findings and Policy- and Health-Relevant Insights from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Particulate Matter Supersites Program and Related Studies: An Integration and Synthesis of Results

In 1998, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) initiated a major air quality program known as the Particulate Matter (PM) Supersites Program. The Supersites Program was a multiyear, $27 million air quality monitoring program consisting of eight regional air quality projects located throughout the United States, each with differing atmospheric pollution conditions resulting from variations in source emissions and meteorology. The overall goal of the program was to elucidate source-receptor relationships and atmospheric processes leading to PM accumulation on urban and regional scales; thus providing the scientific underpinning for modeling and data analysis efforts to support State Implementation Plans and more effective risk management approaches for PM. The program had three main objectives: (1) conduct methods development and evaluation, (2) characterize ambient PM, and (3) support health effects and exposure research. This paper provides a synthesis of key scientific findings from the Supersites Program and related studies. EPA developed 16 science/policy-relevant questions in conjunction with state and other federal agencies, Regional Planning Organizations, and the private sector. These questions were addressed to the extent possible, even given the vast amount of new information available from the Supersites Program, in a series of papers published as a special issue of the Journal of Air & Waste Management Association (February 2008). This synthesis also includes discussions of: (1) initial Supersites Program support for air quality management efforts in specific locations throughout the United States; (2) selected policy-relevant insights, based on atmospheric sciences findings, useful to air quality managers and decision makers planning emissions management strategies to address current and future PM National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) and network planning and implementation; (3) selected health-relevant insights interpreted from atmospheric sciences findings in light of future directions for health and exposure scientists planning studies of the effects of PM on human health; and (4) selected knowledge gaps to guide future research. Finally, given the scope and depth of research and findings from the Supersites Program, this paper provides a reference source so readers can glean a general understanding of the overall research conducted and its policy-relevant insights. Supporting details for the results presented are available through the cited references. An annotated table of contents allows readers to easily find specific subject matter within the text.

Emission Projections for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Section 812 Second Prospective Clean Air Act Cost/Benefit Analysis

Section 812 of the Clean Air Act Amendments (CAAA) of 1990 requires the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to perform periodic, comprehensive analyses of the total costs and total benefits of programs implemented pursuant to the CAAA. The first prospective analysis was completed in 1999. The second prospective analysis was initiated during 2005. The first step in the second prospective analysis was the development of base and projection year emission estimates that will be used to generate benefit estimates of CAAA programs. This paper describes the analysis, methods, and results of the recently completed emission projections. There are several unique features of this analysis. One is the use of consistent economic assumptions from the Department of Energy’s Annual Energy Outlook 2005 (AEO 2005) projections as the basis for estimating 2010 and 2020 emissions for all sectors. Another is the analysis of the different emissions paths for both with and without CAAA scenarios. Other features of this analysis include being the first EPA analysis that uses the 2002 National Emission Inventory files as the basis for making 48-state emission projections, incorporating control factor files from the Regional Planning Organizations (RPOs) that had completed emission projections at the time the analysis was performed, and modeling the emission benefits of the expected adoption of measures to meet the 8-hr ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), the Clean Air Visibility Rule, and the PM2.5 NAAQS. This analysis shows that the 1990 CAAA have produced significant reductions in criteria pollutant emissions since 1990 and that these emission reductions are expected to continue through 2020. CAAA provisions have reduced volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions by approximately 7 million t/yr by 2000, and are estimated to produce associated VOC emission reductions of 16.7 million t by 2020. Total oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emission reductions attributable to the CAAA are 5, 12, and 17 million t in 2000, 2010, and 2020, respectively. Sulfur dioxide (SO2) emission benefits during the study period are dominated by electricity-generating unit (EGU) SO2 emission reductions. These EGU emission benefits go from 7.5 million t reduced in 2000 to 15 million t reduced in 2020.

EPA Supersites Program-Related Emissions-Based Particulate Matter Modeling: Initial Applications and Advances

One objective of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Supersite Program was to provide data that could be used to more thoroughly evaluate and improve air quality models, and then have those models used to address both scientific and policy-related issues dealing with air quality management. In this direction, modeling studies have used Supersites-related data and are reviewed here. Fine temporal resolution data have been used both to test model components (e.g., the inorganic thermodynamic routines) and air quality modeling systems (in particular, Community Multiscale Air Quality [CMAQ] and Comprehensive Air Quality Model with extensions [CAMx] applications). Such evaluations suggest that the inorganic thermodynamic approaches being used are accurate, as well as the description of sulfate production, although there are significant uncertainties in production of nitric acid, biogenic and ammonia emissions, secondary organic aerosol formation, and the ability to follow the formation and evolution of ultra-fine particles. Model applications have investigated how PM levels will respond to various emissions controls, suggesting that nitrate will replace some of the reductions in sulfate particulate matter (PM), although the replacement is small in the summer. Although not part of the Supersite program, modeling being conducted by EPA, regional planning organizations, and states for policy purposes has benefited from the detailed data collected, and the PM models have advanced by their more widespread use.

Preliminary Evaluation of the Community Multiscale Air Quality Model for 2002 over the Southeastern United States

The Visibility Improvement State and Tribal Association of the Southeast (VISTAS) is one of five Regional Planning Organizations that is charged with the management of haze, visibility, and other regional air quality issues in the United States. The VISTAS Phase I work effort modeled three episodes (January 2002, July 1999, and July 2001) to identify the optimal model configuration(s) to be used for the 2002 annual modeling in Phase II. Using model configurations recommended in the Phase I analysis, 2002 annual meteorological (Mesoscale Meterological Model [MM5]), emissions (Sparse Matrix Operator Kernal Emissions [SMOKE]), and air quality (Community Multiscale Air Quality [CMAQ]) simulations were performed on a 36‐km grid covering the continental United States and a 12‐km grid covering the Eastern United States. Model estimates were then compared against observations. This paper presents the results of the preliminary CMAQ model performance evaluation for the initial 2002 annual base case simulation. Model performance is presented for the Eastern United States using speciated fine particle concentration and wet deposition measurements from several monitoring networks. Initial results indicate fairly good performance for sulfate with fractional bias values generally within ±20%. Nitrate is overestimated in the winter by approximately +50% and underestimated in the summer by more than −100%. Organic carbon exhibits a large summer underestimation bias of approximately −100% with much improved performance seen in the winter with a bias near zero. Performance for elemental carbon is reasonable with fractional bias values within ±40%. Other fine particulate (soil) and coarse particular matter exhibit large (80–150%) overestimation in the winter but improved performance in the summer. The preliminary 2002 CMAQ runs identified several areas of enhancements to improve model performance, including revised temporal allocation factors for ammonia emissions to improve nitrate performance and addressing missing processes in the secondary organic aerosol module to improve OC performance.

Trends in Speciated Fine Particulate Matter and Visibility across Monitoring Networks in the Southeastern United States

Trends in fine particulate matter <2.5 µm in diameter (PM2.5) and visibility in the Southeastern United States were evaluated for sites in the Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual Environments, Speciated Trends Network, and Southeastern Aerosol Research and Characterization Study networks. These analyses are part of the technical assessment by Visibility Improvement–State and Tribal Association of the Southeast (VISTAS), the regional planning organization for the southeastern states, in support of State Implementation Plans for the regional haze rule. At all of the VISTAS IMPROVE sites, ammonium sulfate and organic carbon (OC) are the largest and second largest contributors, respectively, to light extinction on both the 20% haziest and 20% clearest days. Ammonium nitrate, elemental carbon (EC), soils, and coarse particles make comparatively small contributions to PM2.5 mass and light extinction on most days at the Class I areas. At Southern Appalachian sites, the 20% haziest days occur primarily in the late spring to fall, whereas at coastal sites, the 20% haziest days can occur through out the year. Levels of ammonium sulfate in Class I areas are similar to those in nearby urban areas and are generally higher at the interior sites than the coastal sites. Concentrations of OC, ammonium nitrate, and, sometimes, EC, tend to be higher in the urban areas than in nearby Class I areas, although differences in measurement methods complicate comparisons between networks. Results support regional controls of sulfur dioxide for both regional haze and PM2.5 implementation and suggest that controls of local sources of OC, EC, or nitrogen oxides might also be considered for urban areas that are not attaining the annual National Ambient Air Quality Standard for PM2.5.

Regional Concept for Transportation Operations: A Tool for Strengthening and Guiding Collaboration and Coordination

A regional concept for transportation operations (RCTO) presents a regional objective and what is needed to achieve that objective within a reasonably short time frame, possibly 3 to 5 years. It is a description of the desired state for transportation operations presented as an operations objective accompanied by a set of physical improvements that need to be implemented, relationships and procedures that must be established, and resource arrangements that are needed to accomplish the operations objective. An RCTO is created out of ongoing collaboration, primarily between managers responsible for operating the transportation system on a day-to-day basis, such as those for traffic operations, transit service, and public safety. Development of an RCTO should include participation by the regional planning organization to ensure consistency with the region's vision and goals. The scope of an RCTO reflects the nature of the collaborative activity. It guides the collaborative efforts of individual participants ...

Regional Concept for Transportation Operations

A regional concept for transportation operations (RCTO) presents a regional objective and what is needed to achieve that objective within a reasonably short time frame, possibly 3 to 5 years. It is a description of the desired state for transportation operations presented as an operations objective accompanied by a set of physical improvements that need to be implemented, relationships and procedures that must be established, and resource arrangements that are needed to accomplish the operations objective. An RCTO is created out of ongoing collaboration, primarily between managers responsible for operating the transportation system on a day-to-day basis, such as those for traffic operations, transit service, and public safety. Development of an RCTO should include participation by the regional planning organization to ensure consistency with the region's vision and goals. The scope of an RCTO reflects the nature of the collaborative activity. It guides the collaborative efforts of individual participants through a common approach to achieve a common objective. An RCTO can address a single service (e.g., traffic incident management, traveler information services, or electronic fare payment), a collection of related services (e.g., congestion management for arterials and freeways), or capabilities that cut across several services (e.g., wireless communications network, surveillance and control systems, or vehicle detection and locator systems). In addition, an RCTO can stimulate further collaborative activity, for example, expansion of incident management to include emergency management. An RCTO serves three important purposes: ( a) presentation of an operations vision and direction for the future of transportation systems management and operations based on a holistic view of the region; ( b) commitment from agencies and jurisdictions for a common regional approach to transportation management and operations, and ( c) an opportunity to strengthen the linkage between regional planners and managers responsible for transportation operations by providing a coherent operations strategy for consideration in the planning process. An RCTO can be used as significant input into the ongoing regional transportation planning and investment process by communicating with transportation planners about regional management and operations funding needs.

Montana Secondary Program Reform and Application of Goals Achievement Methodology to Project Prioritization

A methodology for prioritizing transportation funding in diverse rural environments is described based on experiences in the state of Montana. In 1999, the state of Montana redesigned its secondary highway-funding program. The amended statute allocated federal-aid and state matching funds by formula to each of Montana's five transportation districts and terminated a county-level suballocation that had been in place for more than 30 years. Instead of creating regional planning organizations or formal decision-making bodies such as "councils of governments," the Montana counties statutorily retained direct decision-making authority to set funding priorities, but at the district level. Through a cooperative process, the state of Montana and its 56 counties developed a goals achievement methodology for project prioritization that is responsive to a broad range of transportation needs and goals across all transportation districts of the state. This methodology is applicable for roads with very diverse characteristics and for decision makers with very different goals for the transportation systems under their jurisdiction. The methodology has the advantage of supporting a regional approach to funding prioritization. In addition, it has overcome the funds management problems that had occurred in the Montana secondary program with funds suballocated into 56 individual county accounts. Benefits and problems associated with direct suballocation of transportation resources were studied and the reformed Montana program was evaluated in terms of retaining the benefits and addressing the problems.