Today, USDOT is announcing a final rule aimed at ensuring that regional planning truly takes place on regional scale.  The rule, issued jointly by FHWA and FTA, aligns practice with the statutory definition of “Metropolitan Planning Area” (MPA) and requires that MPO planning takes place at this regional level – encompassing the entire Urbanized area (UZA) and the surrounding area forecast to become urbanized in the next 20 years.
Most MPOs are already using this broader, more holistic approach to regional planning. This rule impacts the final third and pushes them to consider the resources, goals and investment decisions that impact their entire region.
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