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DESCRIPTION

With shifting political priorities, the role of central governments in transportation policy-making has changed significantly over the past two decades. Concepts such as congestion pricing, private toll roads, and for-profit mass transportation are beginning to be seriously considered as elements of a broad transportation policy both in the developed and the developing world. Meanwhile, local issues regarding the appropriateness of specific investments, their impacts on specific subpopulations, levels of travel demand, and transportation-related environmental concerns continue to be dominant themes of grass-roots politics. This course examines surface transportation from a public policy perspective with special focus on its institutional and operational components.

The course is divided into four parts. Part 1 provides an introductory review of the role of government in transportation markets. Part 2 covers how transportation decisions are evaluated at the national and regional levels, including the vital role that planners play in conducting technical analyses. The emphasis is on understanding how technical tools are used for project evaluation, whereas the mechanics of the tools are covered in other courses (PLAN 127 and 129). Part 3 covers policy responses to congestion problems. Finally, part 4 covers often neglected aspects of transportation policy: environmental and social protection.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

The course introduces students to the current transportation policy discussions and methodological approaches for evaluating and making policy decisions. Students will be able to learn from the policy experience of many countries in areas such as:

• The role of government in transportation markets
• Transportation infrastructure financing
• Evaluating transportation investments
• Approaches to address traffic congestionEnvironmental justice issues in transportation
• Market and non-market approaches for addressing mobile source pollution
• Environmental justice analyses in transportation
  

FORMAT

This course combines lectures and seminar-style discussions. Active student participation is expected. Arrive prepared to engage your colleagues and me in active discussion. Several in-class examples will help in understanding and implementing the analysis tools covered. By the end of the class students are expected to write and present to their colleagues a transportation policy white paper.

MEETING TIMES

Thursdays: 12:30-3:15PM, New East 102

Copyright, 2005. Daniel A. Rodriguez

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