Graphic Guidance for Long-Range Transportation Plans

Abstract

For more than a half century, federal policy has required metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) to communicate regional priorities through long-range transportation plans (LRTPs). Despite the length of that requirement and the high cost of the associated investments, there are virtually no resources to guide MPOs in graphically communicating these plans to the public. This research reviews 1,502 graphics from a stratified random sample of LRTPs from 20 MPOs across the United States with populations less than 200,000. Quantitative and qualitative analyses were conducted to assess current graphic practices and generate suggestions to guide MPOs in enhancing graphic communication. This review categorizes LRTP graphics into three types (spatial, numeric, and concept), identifies the frequency, components, and uses of each type, and then proposes a set of 26 “core” graphics as a common baseline for all LRTPs.