BACKGROUND 

The integration of public health outcomes into transportation planning and decision-making processes is essential to create sustainable, resilient, equitable, and healthy communities. Transportation directly impacts public health outcomes, including physical activity levels, air quality, safety, and access to everyday destinations. Everyday destinations refer to places associated with access to work, school, recreation, and food. Policies and decisions related to transportation infrastructure, land use, and the built environment can have different impacts on public health outcomes that can lead to health disparities and inequities. Historically underserved communities often bear a disproportionate burden of negative health impacts and experience few positive benefits associated with transportation investments. Evaluating the effectiveness of policy interventions and successful practices for incorporating public health considerations is crucial for improving transportation planning processes.  

Several challenges exist in incorporating public health outcomes into the transportation planning and decision-making processes. Public health agencies and transportation agencies often operate with limited collaboration and coordination. The limited interdisciplinary cooperation poses challenges in aligning public health goals with transportation plans and policies. There is limited documented research on successful collaborative efforts and strategic partnerships between public health and transportation organizations, though the two are closely linked. While some health evaluation tools exist, there is a need for tools that can be readily integrated into transportation decision-making from concept development to post-implementation. This may include tools such as evaluation frameworks, methodologies, comprehensive data, and metrics. 

Transportation decision-makers need research-derived tools to help determine the public health outcomes of transportation projects, inform policies, and help prioritize proposed projects. 

OBJECTIVE 

The objective of this research is to develop a guide that details how to (1) integrate public health outcomes into transportation decision-making and resource allocation; and (2) assess positive public health outcomes related to physical activity, mobility options, and access to everyday destinations. The guide shall include an evaluation framework and metrics and be accompanied by a spreadsheet tool. 

Accomplishment of the project objective will require at least the following tasks. 

TASKS 

When developing the research approach, consideration should be given, but not limited to, the following factors that have been less researched to date: 

• Active transportation; 
• Green infrastructure;
• Equity; and
• Nontraditional and non-transportation use of rights-of-way. 

Other areas of consideration may include: 

• Human behavior; and 
• Environmental impact. 

PHASE I 

Task 1. Prepare a literature review on incorporating public health outcomes into the transportation planning and decision-making processes. Include gray literature. 

Task 2. Identify and evaluate existing health and transportation tools and their potential use in transportation planning and decision-making processes. Prepare a comparison matrix showing factors such as attributes, limitations, overlaps, differences, and potential uses. 

Task 3. Identify the challenges and opportunities of successful collaborations between public health and transportation professionals and provide examples. Include current and potential funding sources that allow joint activities between transportation and public health activities. Prepare a state-of-practice review with successful practices. 

Task 4. Prepare an interim report that summarizes the findings from Tasks 1 through 3 and a detailed Phase II work plan that describes how the findings of Tasks 1 through 3 will inform Phase II. 

PHASE II 

Task 5. Identify metrics and key performance indicators that assess public health outcomes of transportation planning and decision-making and facilitate evidence-based policy development and implementation. 

Task 6. Identify, modify, or develop an evaluation framework that includes projects from transportation concept development to post-implementation phases. Include a discussion on quantifiable benefits. 

Task 7. Prepare an annotated outline of the proposed guide. 

Task 8. Prepare an interim report that summarizes the findings from Tasks 5 through 7 and provides a detailed Phase III work plan. 

PHASE III 

Task 9. Without the use of third-party software, develop a basic public health and transportation investment spreadsheet decision-support tool that shall demonstrate the linkage between transportation investment and public health outcomes and quantify benefits. Include notes documenting decisions on development, editable assumptions, and step-by-step instructions on how to use the calculation tools to apply default values or to estimate original values to determine the impacts of transportation projects and policies on public health. 

Task 10. Identify a core group of subject matter experts to beta test the spreadsheet tool developed in Task 9 and conduct beta testing. 

Task 11. Develop a guide that details how to integrate public health into transportation project decision-making and describes a means for the assessment of the effect of transportation investment on public health.

Task 12. Convene a virtual workshop to provide a demonstration of the public health and transportation investment framework, spreadsheet decision support tool, and guide, and solicit additional feedback from the community of practice. 

Task 13. Modify the spreadsheet tool as needed based on feedback solicited during beta testing and the virtual workshop. 

Task 14. Prepare the final deliverables, which must include the following: 

1. A practitioner’s guide with a framework that details how to integrate public health into transportation project decision-making and allows for the assessment of public health outcomes; 

2. A stand-alone public health and transportation investment spreadsheet decision-support tool; 

3. A final conduct of research report documenting the entire research effort including recommendations for future research and an executive summary; 

4. A 20-slide PowerPoint presentation describing the background, objectives, research approach, findings, and conclusions; 

5. A recorded presentation of findings to the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Committee on Planning or other committee or council concerned with incorporating public health outcomes into transportation decision-making and investments; and 

6. A stand-alone technical memorandum titled “Implementation of Research Findings and Products”. 

Proposers may recommend additional deliverables to support the project objective. 

STATUS: Proposals have been received in response to the RFP. The project panel will meet to select a contractor to perform the work.