Goods movement, also referred to as freight transportation, is vital to maintaining and growing strong economies, but goods movement also causes a wide range of environmental, public health and climate concerns. These concerns are particularly acute and severe in low income and communities of color where many studies have documented disproportionate exposure to air pollution from goods movement and truck traffic. In the United States, metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) are charged with developing long-range regional transportation plans that identify regional transportation planning goals and prioritize infrastructure investments to meet them. Until recently, most MPOs have focused on concerns related to household travel and passenger transportation which has left significant gaps and a wide variation in how MPOs plan for goods movement. The objective of this research is to understand the limitations and barriers to more effective regional goods movement planning
and the implications for understanding and addressing sustainability and equity concerns. This will be accomplished by reviewing the long-range regional transportation plans created by a representative sample of 48 MPOs and conducting interviews with MPO planning staff. The information gathered from MPOs and their planning documents will be used to develop a comprehensive understanding of what is needed to overcome barriers and transform how MPOs in the U.S. plan for goods movement and how
they can better address critical sustainability and equity challenges.
