Using multi-criteria decision making to highlight stakeholders’ values in the corridor planning process

Bethany Stich

Mississippi State University

Joseph H. Holland

Mississippi State University

Rodrigo A. A. Nobrega

Mississippi State University

Charles G. O'Hara

Mississippi State University

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5198/jtlu.v4i3.171

Keywords: Transportation Planning, Policy, GIS, MCDM, I-69


Abstract

The processes for environmental review and public participation mandated by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the 2005 Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act - A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), have become overly time-consuming and costly in transportation planning. This paper focuses on the implementation of transportation policy, highlighting how its complex nature challenges the traditional policy process theories. Federal and local perspectives are used as a basis for top-down and bottom-up implementation models. In addition, the authors discuss the conflicting nature of transportation policy implementation within decision processing and suggest an implementation tool that can aid transportation and planning professionals. The authors suggest that the use and integration of existing data from geospatial technologies and economic modeling can result in a visual Multiple Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) model that can aid in streamlining and enhancing the NEPA process, agency coordination, and public participation in different administration levels.

Author Biographies

Bethany Stich, Mississippi State University

Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science and Public Administration

Joseph H. Holland, Mississippi State University

Ph.D. Student, Department of Political Science and Public Administration

Rodrigo A. A. Nobrega, Mississippi State University

Post Doctoral Research Associate, Geosystems Research Institute

Charles G. O'Hara, Mississippi State University

Associate Research Professor, Geosystems Research Institute