This report is part of the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) goal of completing in 1996 "an overall national assessment of the metropolitan planning process and its implementation under ISTEA". It concentrates on contemporary planning concepts and how ISTEA compares to the best available planning practices. The Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations (ACIR) used three sources of information to make this assessment: an extensive review of contemporary planning literature, an evaluation of the 70 certification and enhanced planning reviews available from federal review teams by May 1996, and ACIR field work with 11 MPOs under 100,000 population that are well below the size of those receiving formal federal review.

This study compares Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Regional Transportation Plans (RTP) and planning processes in selected regions of California. The study included seventeen MPOs in order to provide a balance of geographical location, growth rate, transit orientation size, density and air quality conformity status. Recommendations are presented for the following six areas: 1) public participation in the RTP process; 2) the frequency of updates; 3) scoring criteria for projects; 4) the use of planning data in the RTP; 5) coordination with ports and airports; and, 6) the evolving role of MPOs as it relates to the preparation of the RTP.