Metropolitan Agency for Planning

Metropolitan Agency for Planning
Name	Metropolitan Agency for Planning
Formation	1960s
Type	Regional planning agency
Headquarters	Chicago
Region served	Chicago metropolitan area
Leader title	Executive Director

Metropolitan Agency for Planning

The Metropolitan Agency for Planning is a regional planning organization serving a major United States metropolitan area, coordinating land use, transportation, and environmental policy across counties and municipalities. It works with agencies such as the United States Department of Transportation, Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Transit Administration, Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, and state departments to align metropolitan plans with federal statutes like the Clean Air Act and the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act. The agency interacts with civic actors including American Planning Association, Urban Land Institute, Metropolitan Planning Organization, Council of Governments (United States), and universities such as University of Chicago and Northwestern University.

History

The agency traces origins to mid-20th century regional responses to postwar suburbanization involving actors like the Interstate Highway System, Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, Great Migration, National Environmental Policy Act, and local commissions such as the Regional Plan Association and the Chicago Area Transportation Study. Early milestones include coordinating with the Federal Highway Administration and responding to Supreme Court decisions such as Village of Euclid v. Ambler Realty Co. while engaging initiatives connected to the War on Poverty and programs from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. In subsequent decades it adapted to frameworks set by the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century, and partnerships with entities like the World Bank and United Nations Human Settlements Programme.

Governance and Organizational Structure

Governance typically comprises representatives from counties, cities, transit agencies, and state transportation departments similar to boards described in the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (San Francisco Bay Area) and the Dallas–Fort Worth Regional Transportation Council. Executive leadership often mirrors structures in agencies such as the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the Metropolitan Council (Minnesota), with committees for finance, planning, and environmental review drawing expertise from institutions like American Institute of Certified Planners, Congress for the New Urbanism, and research centers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Legal oversight aligns with statutes such as the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act and relationships with state legislatures exemplified by the Illinois General Assembly.

Functions and Responsibilities

The agency’s responsibilities include regional transportation planning comparable to duties of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, air quality conformity similar to roles under the Environmental Protection Agency, long-range land use coordination like the Regional Plan Association, and grant administration akin to the Federal Transit Administration and Department of Housing and Urban Development. It conducts modeling with tools used by American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and collaborates on resiliency projects connected to Federal Emergency Management Agency programs. The agency also convenes stakeholders from entities such as Chicago Transit Authority, Metra (commuter rail), Pace (transit), and nonprofit partners like Metropolitan Planning Council.

Planning Processes and Instruments

Planning processes rely on long-range plans influenced by frameworks such as the Sustainable Communities Initiative, Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act, and the Clean Air Act Amendments. Technical instruments include travel demand models in line with standards from the Transportation Research Board, air quality models endorsed by the Environmental Protection Agency, GIS systems like those from Esri, and public engagement methods used by the Local Government Commission and Project for Public Spaces. Projects are prioritized through performance measures similar to those in Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act and coordinated via interagency memoranda akin to agreements between the Federal Highway Administration and state departments.

Projects and Initiatives

Typical initiatives encompass transit expansions comparable to Chicago Transit Authority rail projects, arterial modernization similar to Interstate 90 improvements, active transportation networks inspired by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy conversions, stormwater and green infrastructure projects reflecting Green Infrastructure (landscape) practice, and equitable housing strategies resembling programs from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The agency often partners with foundations like the MacArthur Foundation, federal programs such as Economic Development Administration, and civic groups like OpenPlans.

Funding and Budget

Funding streams mirror those of metropolitan planning organizations and derive from federal sources including the Federal Transit Administration, Federal Highway Administration, and competitive grants under the Department of Transportation, as well as state appropriations from bodies like the Illinois Department of Transportation and local dues paid by counties and cities analogous to contributions to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (San Francisco Bay Area). Budgets are audited in ways comparable to standards from the Government Accountability Office and financial oversight practices in agencies such as the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

Criticism and Controversies

Critiques echo controversies familiar from cases like debates over the Big Dig and disputes involving the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and include allegations of prioritizing highway expansion over transit similar to arguments made around the Interstate Highway System, concerns about equity as raised in litigation like South Camden Citizens in Action v. Philadelphia Regional Port Authority analogs, and scrutiny over public participation practices paralleling controversies around Hudson Yards development. Legal challenges have referenced requirements from the National Environmental Policy Act and the Clean Air Act, and watchdog commentary has invoked reports by the Government Accountability Office and analyses by think tanks such as the Brookings Institution.

Category:Regional planning organizations in the United States