System Planning for Regions

System Planning for Regions (SPR) includes sixteen criteria plus one bonus criterion that agencies are eligible for based on their scores on the first three criteria. This section includes all of the criteria for evaluating sustainability within an Agency's system planning program. Using this section, you can:

Review all criteria are included in the System Planning for Regions module;
Download individual criterion write-ups (when browsing specific criteria); and
View the Case Studies and Criterion Examples specific to each criterion (a feature only available online, not within the PDF.)

Visit the INVEST 1.3 Library to download the SPR Compendium (all criteria within the SPR module.)


SPR-01 Integrated Planning: Economic Development and Land Use (for Regions) Integrate statewide and metropolitan Long Range Transportation Plans (LRTP) with regional and/or local land use plans and economic development forecasts and goals. Proactively encourage and facilitate sustainability through the coordination of transportation, land use, and economic development planning.
SPR-02 Integrated Planning: Natural Environment (for Regions) Integrate ecological considerations into the transportation planning process, including the development of long range transportation plans (LRTP), corridor plans, and the TIP. Proactively support and enhance long-term ecological function through the coordination of transportation and natural resource planning.
SPR-03 Integrated Planning: Social (for Regions) The agency’s Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) is consistent with and supportive of the community’s vision and goals. When considered in an integrated fashion, these plans, goals and visions support sustainability principles. The agency applies context-sensitive principles to the planning process to achieve solutions that balance multiple objectives to meet stakeholder needs.
SPR-04 Integrated Planning: Bonus (for Regions) The agency has a continuing, cooperative, and comprehensive (3-C) transportation planning process. Planners and professionals from multiple disciplines and agencies (e.g., land use, transportation, economic development, energy, natural resources, community development, equity, housing, and public health) work together to incorporate and apply all three sustainability principles when preparing and evaluating plans.
SPR-05 Access and Affordability (for Regions) Enhance accessibility and affordability of the transportation system to all users and by multiple modes.
SPR-06 Safety Planning (for Regions) Agency integrates quantitative measures of safety into regional planning policies, ordinances, activities, projects, and programs, and across all modes and jurisdictions.
SPR-07 Multimodal Transportation and Public Health (for Regions) Expand travel choices and modal options by enhancing the extent and connectivity of multimodal infrastructure. Support and enhance public health by investing in active transportation modes.
SPR-08 Freight and Goods Access & Mobility (for Regions) Implement a transportation plan that meets freight access and mobility needs while also supporting triple bottom line sustainability principles.
SPR-09 Travel Demand Management (for Regions) Reduce vehicle travel demand throughout the system.
SPR-10 Air Quality & Emissions (for Regions) To plan, implement, and monitor multimodal strategies to reduce emissions and to establish a process to document emissions reductions.
SPR-11 Energy and Fuels (for Regions) Reduce the energy and fossil fuel consumption from the transportation sector and document it in the transportation planning process.
SPR-12 Financial Sustainability (for Regions) Evaluate and document that financial commitments made across transportation system plans are reasonable and affordable.
SPR-13 Analysis Methods (for Regions) Agencies adopt and incentivize best practices in land use, socioeconomic and transportation systems analysis methods.
SPR-14 Transportation Systems Management and Operations (for Regions) Optimize the efficiency of the existing transportation system.
SPR-15 Linking Asset Management and Planning (for Regions) Leverage transportation asset management data and methods within the transportation planning process to make informed, cost-effective program decisions and better use existing transportation assets.
SPR-16 Infrastructure Resiliency (for Regions) Anticipate, assess, and plan to respond to vulnerabilities and risks associated with current and future hazards (including those associated with climate change) to ensure multi-modal transportation system reliability and resiliency. Identify a range of vulnerability and risks to both existing and planned transportation infrastructure.
SPR-17 Planning and Environmental Linkages (for Regions) Integrate system planning process information, analysis, and decisions with the project-level environmental review process, and reference it in NEPA documentation.