Transportation planning
Office of Community Planning
California has long been home to some of the fastest growing regions in the United States. In the next two decades, this state will likely face an increase of 5 million jobs contributing to a population increase of 13 million people. A near doubling of the population from 34 million to 58 million is predicted by 2040.
If California is going to effectively manage its transportation system in the coming decades and provide cost-effective infrastructure improvements that promote livable communities, then it must craft new transportation decision-making and evaluation processes. Balancing a strong economy with quality of life and environmental concerns requires new paradigms for community development, and with them, new ways to plan and provide transportation infrastructure and services.
Traditional transportation planning processes and practices must adapt to provide the choice of services that our public wants, and needs. To address this statewide need for community-sensitive approaches to transportation decision-making, Caltrans created the Office of Community Planning (OCP).
Office of Community Planning Value Statement: To promote and participate in community based planning that integrates land use, transportation and community values. Some of the broader goals of OCP include:
- Affect and change existing Caltrans processes and functions to reflect relevant community values.
- Develop partnerships to enhance community based transportation planning approaches at local, regional and state levels.
- Develop technical and program expertise in community based transportation planning and public participation techniques.
- Enhance Caltrans leadership role in planning by integrating community based transportation planning approaches in the department's planning processes.
- Provide incentives that further support community-based transportation planning at all levels.
- Allow the development of transportation projects that enjoy public support and are easier to develop and deliver because of consistency with community values. OCP is organized into three primary branch units sharing a common theme of linking land-use decisionmaking with transportation planning: Community Based Transportation Planning(CBTP), Public Participation (PP), and Local Development-Intergovernmental Review (LD-IGR) Program.
For additional information regarding the Office of Community Planning, please contact Tom Neumann, Office Chief.