Framework summary

Name of the Framework
Toolbox for Regional Policy Analysis

Brief description of the framework and tools within it
This is a toolbox of analytical methods for testing the regional impacts of transportation and land use policies.

The toolbox has been produced in America and is designed for use by Metropolitan Planning Organisations (MPOs), the U.S. state departments of Transportation (DOTs), and other analysts who wish to assess a range of impacts in regional transportation and/or land use planning.

Impacts of interest may include economic development, wetland and habitat impacts and other social and environment measures associated with transportation investments and land use policies.

The toolbox includes techniques ranging from sketch-planning methods and GIS-based analyses to integrated urban models. In contrast to project-level analysis techniques, the methods are primarily designed for analysing the impacts of a regional transportation plan, regional land use scenarios, or other policies applied on a region wide basis. The toolbox includes two primary components:
(i) a series of case studies of applications of methods;
(ii) a discussion of the various types of impacts and how they relate to each other.

The methods in the toolbox can be used to assess transport projects:
• Road and highway infrastructure investment;
• Fixed-guideway transit investment;
• Operational infrastructure (ITS, traffic flow improvements, etc.);
• Demand management, including road pricing, parking pricing, TDM strategies, etc.; and
• Freight-related investment strategies.
as well as land use policy impacts:
• Land use policies, such as zoning regulations, tax policies, or growth management strategies;
• Regional development patterns, including location, density, etc., by type of development; and
• "Micro-scale" design characteristics, such as pedestrian-oriented site design, mix of uses, or access management.

Specific topic focussed on by framework
Regional impacts of transportation and land use policies

Web link
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/toolbox/

How are the tools organised within the framework?
Tools are set out in relation to Impact Methodologies. The relationship between Impact Methodologies are set out within a framework under the following headings:
• Land Development Patterns
• Transportation Performance
• Accessibility
• Environmental - Physical
• Environmental - Operating
• Economic
• Fiscal
• Distribution of Impacts
• Cost-Benefit

For each Impact Methodology an overview, case studies, forecasting methods (tools) and general references are provided.

Sector/s covered by framework

Waste	Energy	Water	Transport	Green/Blue	Building & land use
0	0	0	M	0	1

What language/s is the framework available in?
English

What organisation developed the framework and in what country?
Developed for the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, and Federal Transit Administration by Cambridge Systematics, Inc.

Where is the framework available from?
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/toolbox/

What are the strengths of the framework?
• The toolbox provides for implementing GIS-based analyses on planning methods from described best practices to create integrated urban models.
• The framework provides tools under the headings of the general relationships between transportation and land use policies and the various impact areas. Therefore it is possible to identify case studies, tools (forecasting methods) and general references relating to the impact area the user is interested in.
• The case studies are presented in a clearly identifiable tables relating to impact and policy addressed.

What are the weaknesses of the framework?
Many technical terms are used throughout the site which can be off putting. The website is visually confusing to begin with. There is no information as to why the case studies included have been chosen.