Regional Planning for Sustainable and Equitable Goods Movement: Identifying Barriers and Best Practices from a Study of 48 Metropolitan Planning Organizations
Brown, Griffin
Brown, Griffin
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Abstract
Effective freight travel is essential to urban environments. However, urban freight activity generates significant impacts on public health and the environment through emissions of greenhouse gases and air pollution. Negative health effects are most pronounced among residents in close proximity to freight operations, in which low-income households and people of color are disproportionately impacted. Despite this, existing research and practice surrounding urban transportation planning has exhibited a greater focus on passenger vehicles, with less attention to freight. As urban populations swell and demand for goods movement increases, greater attention to freight transport in planning is necessary to reduce further negative impacts. In the United States, metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) develop long-range regional transportation plans to identify goals and prioritize infrastructure investments. Until recently, most MPOs exhibited limited attention to freight, in relation to passenger travel. As a result, this has left significant gaps and wide variation in how MPOs plan for goods movement. To address these gaps, we ask three core questions in our research. What methods are currently used to forecast and evaluate freight impacts and plan for improvements? What are the limitations of these methods? What barriers exist to implementing best practices broadly? We evaluate these questions through a comprehensive assessment of long-range regional transportation plans from a representative sample of 48 MPOs with a focus on their modeling methods, as well as through conducting interviews with MPO planning staff. Answers to these questions will provide the knowledge necessary to identify critical barriers to improved freight planning and create a roadmap for research and policy guidance to transform how MPOs in the U.S. plan for goods movement, with specific attention to addressing critical sustainability and equity challenges.
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Date
1/1/2026
Student Status
Graduate Student
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Oral Presentation
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PhD student in the Sustainable Development, Policy, Economics, and Governance Program
College/School
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
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Engineering (Travel)