Special Issue: Citizen Involvement in Transportation

摘要

Citizen involvement is relevant and necessary in every sector of planning and development, whether it is education, health, conservation, water and sanitation, or transportation. When it is practiced successfully it transforms and enriches the planning process, raises the relationship between the planners, decision makers and the citizenry to a higher level, and promotes sustainable development. Professionals who are entrusted with the planning and designing of our cities, communities, and regions, have to deal on a day-to-day basis with the technical, social, environmental, and economic goals that ultimately shape the quality of life for millions of citizens. It is therefore not surprising that citizens expect to be a part of the planning and design process of their communities. These goals and expectations are at the heart of the Intermodal Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA), which provides a planning framework for developing transportation systems in the Unites States of America. Similar legislation is being proposed, considered, and adopted in other parts of the world.