About the System Planning Modules
The System Planning modules provide criteria to self-evaluate an agency's system-level planning and programming policies, processes, procedures and practices.
System Planning is the first step in the lifecycle of a transportation project. This is where an agency's system-wide network is analyzed and assessed to identify projects that will improve the safety, capacity, access, operations or other key features of the system. The System Planning for States (SPS) module is geared towards States, Tollways and local agencies that perform landscape-scale and corridor-wide planning and that typically own infrastructure.The System Planning for Regions (SPR) module is geared towards Metropolitan Planning Organizations, Council of Governments, or other planning organizations that perform landscape-scale planning for a metropolitan area (and that typically do not own the infrastructure.)
The System Planning modules focus on performing system-level analyses in a manner that contributes to the overall sustainability of the network and the individual projects programmed in this phase of the lifecycle. The SP criteria are primarily written for the scoring of an agency's fiscally constrained long range transportation plan (LRTP), which is considered to include the agency's transportation planning process, project selection criteria, the TIP/STIP, and project programming. However, other transportation planning documents, such as a unified planning work program (UPWP), corridor plans, and/or related plans (e.g. modal plans, visioning plans, etc) may also be scored, as appropriate. Keep in mind that INVEST strives to seek a balance between providing structure and allowing for flexibility. Where a requirement seems vague or open to interpretation it is often done intentionally to allow agencies the flexibility to score their transportation planning activities in a way that best meets their unique context and situation.
The SPS and SPR modules each contain 17 criteria, listed below, combined into a single scorecard. There is one bonus criterion unique to System Planning, SPS-4: Integrated Planning: Bonus (for States)/ SPR-4: Integrated Planning: Bonus (for Regions). To be eligible for this bonus criterion, the agency must score the maximum of 45 points on criteria SPS-1, SPS-2 and SPS-3 or SPR-1, SPR-2 and SPR-3. The purpose of this bonus is to reward agencies that are truly performing integrated planning across their program.
System Planning for States Criteria / System Planning for Regions Criteria
SPS-01: Integrated Planning: Economic Development and Land Use / SPR-01: Integrated Planning: Economic Development and Land Use
SPS-02: Integrated Planning: Natural Environment / SP-02: Integrated Planning: Natural Environment
SPS-03: Integrated Planning: Social / SPR-03: Integrated Planning: Social
SPS-04: Integrated Planning: Bonus / SPR-04: Integrated Planning: Bonus
SPS-05: Access & Affordability / SPR-05: Access & Affordability
SPS-06: Safety Planning / SPR-06: Safety Planning
SPS-07: Multimodal Transportation and Public Health / SPR
SPS-08: Freight and Goods Movement / SPR-08: Freight and Goods Movement
SPS-09: Travel Demand Management / SPR-09: Travel Demand Management
SPS-10: Air Quality / SPR-10: Air Quality
SPS-11: Energy and Fuels / SPR-11: Energy and Fuels
SPS-12: Financial Sustainability / SPR-12: Financial Sustainability
SPS-13: Analysis Methods / SPR-13: Analysis Methods
SPS-14: Transportation Systems Management & Operations / SPR-14: Transportation Systems Management & Operations
SPS-15: Linking Asset Management and Planning / SPR-15: Linking Asset Management and Planning
SPS-16: Infrastructure Resiliency / SPR-16: Infrastructure Resiliency
SPS-17: Linking Planning and NEPA / SPR-17: Linking Planning and NEPA
Next > Why and When would I Score a System Planning Program?
