Making Progress: Transportation Planners and Programmers Turn Ideas into Reality. Summary of a Conference

Transportation planning and programming continue to evolve in response to the availability of sophisticated analysis tools and techniques, a growing number of related considerations, more diverse stakeholders, expanding policies, and the desire for increased transparency and accountability. To further explore the ways in which transportation professionals can use the various tools and techniques at their disposal to achieve transportation planning and programming goals, the Transportation Research Board (TRB) organized Making Progress: Transportation Planners and Programmers Turn Ideas into Reality, a conference held in Denver, Colorado, on May 23–25, 2012. Building on previous successful TRB statewide planning and programming conferences, this conference took a new approach by bringing the two topics, planning and programming, together. Considering these two topics together provided an opportunity to explore the connections between the two processes and to “cross train” the professionals in each area. After the opening session, the conference was organized around four steps: 1) establishing the vision; 2) establishing the roadmap; 3) turning the vision into reality; and 4) monitoring progress. Each step included both general sessions and breakout sessions. The conference also featured a tools and technology showcase and a walking tour of the Denver Union Station. The major topics addressed in the general sessions and breakout sessions are presented in this summary report following the same order as the conference program. The summary also includes further research needs, outreach activities, and implementation opportunities identified by the rapporteur from the discussions in the general sessions and the breakout sessions.