The objective of this project is to review practices in state Departments of Transportation and Metropolitan Planning Organizations that are using information about the human environment earlier in the transportation planning process and synthesize effective approaches.  In addition, identify existing or emerging community and social impact assessment practices to develop indicators of quality of life (QOL) to be employed in the CIA process.  These cross-cutting indicators should include information about the human environment such as community cohesion, impacts to housing and employment, cultural resources, aesthetic values and the availability or access to public facilities and services.  These components of QOL will be translated into a measurement tool using a variety of data sources that will serve to develop a baseline assessment of a community from which projections of effects can be made.

The report includes a description of current state DOT and MPO practices in assessing transportation impacts on the human environment; examples of indicators or criteria that contribute or detract from QOL; a baseline set of QOL measures that can be derived from typical data sources; and a description of the uses of QOL indicators in assessing transportation impacts on communities.

The contractor's final report is available here.