Linking Communities Together Through Innovative Regional Transportation Planning

Metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) and regional planning councils are in the midst of a wave of innovative practices in how they work with communities to create long-range plans and how they work with local jurisdictions to implement land use, transportation and development decisions that support regional outcomes.

Mariia Zimmerman shared highlights of recent work that she has conducted through her company, MZ Strategies, looking at some of the emerging best practices including highlights from the Innovative MPO Guidebook published by Transportation for America. Specifically, what types of local assistance programs are being created to foster more livable communities, how are regional agencies incorporating social equity into their investment decisions, and what role are MPOs and regional planning agencies playing in cross sector regional collaboratives.

Erich Zimmermann focused on how MPOs and regional planners are innovating to provide better value to the communities they serve. Regional planners across the country are finding new ways to demonstrate their important role in transportation, economic development, and community well-being.