Revolution in Urban Highway Planning

Highway planning and design must be participated in fully by those most affected by the project. Throughout the planning process contact must be maintained with elected officials and citizen groups representing regional interests and those representing the local community. The interdisciplinary team approach is a great advance in urban transportation planning but it is not the solution to all problems. More attention is required during the planning process to ways and means for implementing the plans. The paper describes new procedures being used in urban highway planning. It stresses community participation and the importance, as part of the planning process itself, of seeking out ways and means for implementing the plans. While compromises and concessions must be made to many viewpoints, sight must not be lost of the fact that an adequate transportation system is an absolute requirement of an urbanized society.