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2009 Annual Forum
View Abstract
The Typology and Selection of Sustainable Transportation Indicators
Michael Lowry, University of Idaho, mlowry@u.washington.edu
Thomas Fischer, University of Liverpool, fischer@liverpool.ac.uk
The concept of sustainable transportation has gained worldwide attention. For transportation planning, this has placed greater emphasis on the use of "indicators" for evaluating policies, plans, programs, and project alternatives. Indicators allow transportation planners to evaluate choices with respect to the various goals of sustainable transportation. Despite the frequent use of indicators in practice, there is much to be learned about how and why certain indicators are used (or not used). This paper presents 23 case studies from 12 countries across Europe. The case studies represent a diverse cross-section of transportation planning situations. For each case study, different aspects of the indicators were identified in order to formulate a typology. For example, each indicator was classified as either quantitative or qualitative; as either involving a target or not involving a target; etc. The case studies were analyzed using descriptive statistics and cross tabulations (contingency tables). The analysis also investigated the reasons behind indicator selection. Previous research has suggested that indicators are selected based on three driving forces: data availability, theory, and political pressure. Our analysis sought to test the validity of this claim. For each case study, we asked one of the transportation planners involved why they felt certain indicators were used or not used in the decision process. Our results suggest that data availability is not as critical as one might expect, but that instead political pressure and theory are the primary driving forces behind indicator selection. Furthermore, our analysis highlights the relationship between indicator selection and the decision situation; a relationship that could prove useful for practitioners trying to decide with indicators should be used.