This report documents and presents the results of a study of institutional barriers to intermodal transportation policies and planning. Stakeholder interviews, a literature review and a national survey of 421 transit agencies, MPOs, and state DOTs were utilized to identify 13 organizational, interjurisdictional, and resource barriers to intermodal planning. Findings of the study suggest that building community support, adequate funding, education, and leadership commitment are the primary driving forces that can improve intermodal planning practices. Structure, procedure, and leadership provide the decision-making context for intermodal planning, that is, they enable (or restrict) the regional or local decision-making process. Ten context-shaping recommendations are offered. Action planning sessions held in Albuquerque, New Mexico; Austin, Texas; and Queens, New York indicated that a number of attributes can enhance the local intermodal planning process.

The author maintains that American politics, institutional arrangements, and political culture have prevented the development of a comprehensive, integrated, intermodal transportation policy in the United States. Dilger makes his argument by examining the development of the national governmental authority in both surface and air transportation. Each transportation mode—highways/mass transit, Amtrak, and civilian air transportation—is examined separately, assessing their development over time and focusing on current controversies, including, but not limited to, the highway versus mass transit funding issue; the recent decentralization of decision making authority on surface transportation policy; Amtrak's viability as an alternative to the automobile; and current antiterrorist policies' effect on transportation policy.

While the operational realities of intermodal transport are relatively well known, the institutional challenges are less well understood. This book provides an overview of intermodal transport and logistics including the policy background, emerging industry trends and academic approaches. Establishing the three key features of intermodal transport geography as intermodal terminals, inland logistics and hinterland corridors, Jason Monios takes an institutional approach to understanding the difficulties of successful intermodal transport and logistics. Key areas of investigation include the policy and planning background, the roles of public and private stakeholders and the identification of emerging strategy conflicts. Substantial empirical content situates the theoretical and practical issues in real-world examples via three detailed case study chapters (covering the USA, UK and Europe), making the book useful to students as well as practitioners desiring an understanding of how intermodal transport and logistics work in practice. The identified challenges to intermodal transport and logistics are used to demonstrate how competing port and inland strategies can inhibit the necessary processes of integration required to underpin successful intermodal transport. The book concludes with a look at the future of institutional adaptation that may enhance the capacity of freight actors to engage with intermodal transport developments.

TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Synthesis 297: Building Effective Relationships Between Central Cities and Regional, State, and Federal Agencies documents various intergovernmental relationships and practices that have proven successful in furthering the capital, operations, and maintenance needs of urban transportation systems. It addresses questions about how various intergovernmental units work together to address the transportation needs of central cities, what types of relationships have proven successful in achieving this goal, and what practical steps local, regional, state, and federal officials can take to enhance and improve central city transportation systems.

This classic ICMA "green book" is filled with practical guidance on a broad range of issues that planners are likely to encounter--whether they work in inner cities, older suburbs, rural districts, or small towns. In addition to covering the latest planning trends and the impact of technology, diversity, and citizen participation, this text gives complete coverage of basic planning functions such as housing, transportation, community development, and urban design.