This project provides training and technical assistance to a consortium of three rural Regional Transportation Planning Agencies (RTPAs): Alpine, Amador and Calaveras counties in the use of UPLAN, a scenario planning tool developed for smaller MPOs.
Quick Synopsis of the Research
UPLAN is an application that was developed by the Information Center for the Environment (ICE) at UC Davis and has been adopted by the Merced Council of Governments (MCAG) for their recent RTP update. The UPLAN is an application that allows users to project future land use patterns and to overlay environmental data with the urban footprint to identify potential conflicts. It is an application that can be used with the community in public meetings to show them on a map what land use decisions and transportation investments will have on their urban footprint, on promoting sprawl or compact development, on agricultural or other economically significant land uses and on environmentally sensitive areas.
In this project, the UPLAN will be adapted to the data needs of each participating area, staff will receive training and outreach will be done with local staff and elected officials. This will enable planners to work with the community in visioning and planning activities. The project will also examine current stakeholder and community involvement processes in each area. The processes will be examined to determine how conflict, compromise and intra-regional relationships are currently addressed. Analysis of the policy maker networks and relationships in each area will support collaborative planning processes. Development of the UPLAN with local data incorporated will complement community outreach and involvement efforts.
