Domestic Scan Proposal Form
AASHTO is now soliciting proposals for a Calendar Year 2016 US Domestic Scan Program (NCHRP Panel 20-68A).
Selected scan topics will be investigated by one of three ways: (type 1) site visits to three to six locations for approximately a two week period or less, by webinar; (type 2) peer exchange; or (type 3) conducted by a group of eight to 12 transportation professionals with expertise in the selected topic area. Proposed topics should meet the following criteria:
· Address an important and timely need for information by transportation agencies;
· Are of interest to a broad national spectrum of people and agencies;
· Are complex and also “hands-on,” meaning they lend themselves particularly well to exploration through on-site visits; and
· Are sufficiently focused that the tour participants are able to investigate and understand key issues in the limited time available on the tour.
Before submitting your proposal it is highly recommended that you read What Makes a Good Scan Topic Proposal http://www.domesticscan.org/what-makes-a-good-scan-topic-proposal
This form is designed to collect the full length of your proposal. Sections requiring essays have unlimited space for you to use. Contact information has some limited text. Use your TABà key to advance to the area where you need to complete information.
Proposals should be returned no later than OCTOBER 15, 2015.
IMPORTANT NOTE on How to save your document: LastNameFirst Initial, underscore_Organization Acronym _CY2016.
Saved Document Name Example: VitaleM_AASHTO_CY2016
If you have more than one, add a number after first initial: VitaleM1_AASHTO_CY2016
Domestic Scan Proposal Contact Information
Name / KEITH ROBINSON / Address / 1120 N Street, Sacramento, CaTitle / Principal Landscape Architect / E-mail /
Member Department / Caltrans / Telephone number / 916-654-6200
AASHTO Committee / Landscape And Environmental Design (AFB40) / Date of submission / 10/14/2015
Title of Proposed Scan: Sustainability Transportation Practices
Problem Statement (What topic is to be examined? What drives the need for the scan? Why now?)
State DOT's are strongly embracing sustainability as part of their core values and their strategic and business management plans. This has been driven by global concerns about climate change, energy use, environmental impacts of transportation, limited financal resources, and stakeholder concerns for quality of life considerations. Policy, practices, goals, and performance measures about many aspects of sustainability as they relate to transportation systems is under development, or not yet available for many DOT's.
Scan Scope (What specific subject areas are to be examined? Which cities and states might be visited? Which agencies/organizations (including specific departments or types of staff if applicable)?
DOT's across the nation need to move quickly to address sustainablity. The sharing of policies, best practices, and lesson's learned on the following components of sustainability: resiliency, green infrastructure, increasing non-auto modes, livability, prosperity, and accessibility is of crucial importance to efficient and effective implementation of sustainability plans. Considerations for each component include the following:
Resiliency as it applies to climate change (e.g., vulnerability to flood, erosion, heat, or sea level rise), system resiliency (e.g., adaptability related to emergencies and disasters), financial resilience (e.g., ensure funding considers maintenance, operations, modernization, disasters, and financial stability);
Green infrastructure as it will improve visual quality, reduce grey infrastructure impacts on the ecosystem, increase wildlife habitat, biodiversity and connectivity of ecosystems, improve soil and reduce erosion, decrease solar heat gain, improve storm water and flood control, reduce energy usage, and increase sustainable projects, processes and materials through passive heating and cooling;
Increase non-auto modes including bicycle pedestrians and transit;
Liveability as it includes the degree to which the environment improves human quality of life. Transportation facilities improve livablity when they support accessible multimodal travel options, economic development, ecological quality, social equity, public health and safety, and vibrant public spaces which encourage positve social interacations.
Prosperity as it applies to the gross state/regional product, freight system competitiveness, transportation system efficiency, and return on transportation investment; and accessibility as it applies to multi-modal transportation proximity to jobs, disadvantaged communities, housing services, and transit-oriented communities.
Which national and international transportation entities are leading in developing and implementing sustainability programs? How do they select, design, develop, and measure projects and strategies to achieve sustainability goals? Are there consistent systems for analysis and measurement to enable DOT's and other transporation agencies to evaluate the true value and impact of projects, communicate the information to the public and partners, and determine the value of transportation investments? What methodologies are available which synthesize multiple cross functional strategic planning, design, and operational processes to understand the impact projects have on these performance measures? And how could we measure these items and use these measures for scoring project for prioritization for funding.
Anticipated Scan Results (What key information is to be gained? What information is to be shared after the scan? Who would the audience be for this information?)
The scan should provide information on how sustainability, strategies, programs, and performance measures have been implemented, have been planned or are in development. The information gathered will provide transportation professionals a broad scope of ideas on how sustainability can best be defined in transportation, as well as how to measure and rank its achievement and benefits, provide a basis for communication with our transportation partners, and guide us how to implement best practices for sustainable transportation.
Benefits Expected (Including potential impacts on current technology or procedures)
The scan will be a strong tool for transporation agencies, partners, and the public outlining the breadth and possibilities of sustainability as a transportation principle. It should help develop a common language and transportation specific definitions of sustainability, outline sucessful implementation strategies, ensure we have the best and most complete thinking available on the topic, and enable us to measure, rank, and evaluate projects by the sustainability benefits they provide.