Environmental Planning in Urban Transportation

Abstract

Environmental analysis of transportation systems is a comprehensive and demanding task. The environmental planner is required to carefully and objectively examine project data provided by transportation planners and designers, review existing environmental laws and regulations that may affect the project, make appropriate calculations of impact, compare impact values against acceptable criteria, and recommend mitigation where needed. An outline of the procedures followed and the issues addressed during such an analysis are presented in this paper, which is one in a series by members of the Urban Transportation Division's Committee on Transportation Planning. The series of articles is designed to provide guidance on a variety of planning concerns. Discussion in this article is limited to the transportation modes of highways and airports. The impact areas of noise analysis, air quality, and water resources are covered, reflecting the engineering‐related issues of the environmental questions that generally concern civil engineers. The paper is not intended to discuss the integrated process for environmental consideration in a manner that would be found in a policy white paper; rather, it presents an overview of appropriate laws, regulations, and prediction models.