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Title:

Transportation Planning and Quality of Life: Where Do They Intersect?

Accession Number:

01590156

Record Type:

Component

Abstract:

Policy makers and researchers are increasingly recognizing the connections between public health and transportation, but health improvements are typically framed from a physical health perspective rather than considering broader quality of life (QOL) impacts. Currently, there is a limited understanding of the ways in which transportation and QOL intersect, and little is known about how metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) in the United States are addressing QOL outcomes. This study addressed these gaps by developing a conceptual framework linking transportation to QOL. The proposed framework identified four transportation-related QOL dimensions—physical, mental, social, and economic well-being—which are predominantly influenced by three components of the transportation system: mobility/accessibility, the built environment, and vehicle traffic. This framework formed the basis for a content analysis of 148 long-range transportation plans in the United States to evaluate the extent to which QOL is being considered in the planning process. The results of the analysis and a follow-up examination of 13 plans revealed that MPOs are inconsistently addressing QOL. Plans primarily targeted QOL enhancement from the perspective of physical well-being, while mental and social well-being were rarely considered. Often, it appeared that QOL was a secondary or unintended byproduct of planning objectives. The findings from the framework and analysis suggest that agencies and researchers should move beyond physical well-being considerations and work to more comprehensively integrate QOL into the transportation planning process.

Supplemental Notes:

This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ADD50 Standing Committee on Environmental Justice in Transportation.

Monograph Accession #:

01584066

Report/Paper Numbers:

16-1805

Language:

English

Corporate Authors:

Transportation Research Board

500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001 United States

Authors:

Lee, Richard J
Sener, Ipek N

Pagination:

17p

Publication Date:

2016

Conference:

Transportation Research Board 95th Annual Meeting

Location: Washington DC, United States
Date: 2016-1-10 to 2016-1-14
Sponsors: Transportation Research Board

Media Type:

Digital/other

Features:

Figures; References; Tables

Geographic Terms:

United States

Subject Areas:

Planning and Forecasting; Transportation (General); I72: Traffic and Transport Planning

Source Data:

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2016 Paper #16-1805

Files:

TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Created Date:

Jan 12 2016 4:46PM