Transportation Leadership Academy
In 2017-2018, leaders from regional planning agencies in Massachusetts — along with transportation, civic and business leaders from across the state — participated in a new training academy focused on performance measures.
Performance measurement is the practice of more carefully measuring and quantifying the multiple benefits of transportation spending decisions to ensure that every dollar is aligned with the public’s goals and brings the greatest return possible for residents.
The Massachusetts Transportation Leadership Academy educated teams made up of local transportation professionals, elected leaders, and transportation advocates, to prepare them to act on opportunities within their regions, and plug them into a dynamic national network of leaders throughout the country.
We were pleased to provide this opportunity in partnership with Transportation for America and the Massachusetts Association of Regional Planning Agencies, with support from the Barr Foundation.
The academy consisted of in-person workshops, ongoing technical assistance throughout the year, regular online training sessions, and expert analysis of their plans and progress on deploying performance measures. During the academy participants will:
- Develop performance measures that fit and match their agency’s size and capabilities.
- Discover how performance measures can be applied at different stages of the planning, project development, or construction process.
- Explores how RPAs promote future-ready transportation, and interact with federal and state agencies and transit operators to define their critical role in shaping local transportation decisions.
- Design metrics for community goals that address topics such as health, access, and equity.
- Improve their public engagement process and how to talk to skeptics about performance measures.
- Discover ways in which social equity and access to opportunity can be incorporated into their work.
- Focus on greenhouse gas emissions and the environment.
The Academy was hosted at Clark University in Worcester. In-person workshops and online webinars were on these dates:
- October 10, 2017: 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
- November 14, 2017: 10:30 AM - 5:00 PM
- December 12, 2017: 11:30 AM - 5:00 PM
- February 13, 2018: 10:30 AM - 4:00 PM
- April 3, 2018: 10:30 AM - 3:00 PM
- Webinar 1: January 24, 2018, 4:00 - 5:00 PM
- Webinar 2: March 6, 2018, 3:30 - 4:30 PM
- Webinar 3: May 22, 2018, 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Workshop 1: October 10, 2017
Download presentations by Chris Dempsey | Beth Osborne, Harlan Miller
- Beth Osborne, Transportation for America (T4America)
- Harlan Miller, Federal Highway Administration
Workshop Learning Objectives:
T4America will work with Massachusetts’s leaders to develop a shared understanding on:
- How the transportation program evolved through the use of performance measures
- What this means at the RPA level and how it can influence project selection, the planning process, and define successful outcomes
- Get an overview of the requirements in MAP-21 and the FAST Act, and an update on the US DOT rule-making process, including proposed and final rules
- Review requirements regarding both highways and transit.
Workshop Agenda
11:00 AM Transportation Leadership Academy Welcome and Introductions; review of participants transportation experience and challenges. Speaker: Beth Osborne, T4America
12:00 PM Lunch
1:00 PM Why use Performance Measures? A History of the Transportation Program - Discover how the transportation program evolved through the use of performance measures. Learn what this means at the RPA level and how it can influence project selection, the planning process, and define successful outcomes. Speaker: Beth Osborne, Transportation for America
2:00 PM Background: Understanding Federal Requirements & Rules. This session will include an overview of the requirements in MAP-21 and the FAST Act, and an update on the US DOT rule-making process, including proposed and final rules. The group will review requirements regarding both highways and transit. Speaker: Harlan Miller, FHWA
3:00 PM conclusion
Workshop 1 Recap Webinar
Workshop 2: November 14, 2017
Instructors:
- Beth Osborne, Transportation for America
- Eric Sundquist, State Smart Transportation Initiative
- Dan Marckel, Metropolitan Council, Twin Cities, MN
- Rafael Mares, Conservation Law Foundation
Workshop Learning Objectives:
Transportation for America will work with Massachusetts leaders to develop a shared understanding on:
- How to review projects and understand if your investments will pay for themselves,
- Identify tools for evaluating the economic benefits from transportation projects,
- Discuss how to develop performance measures to address topics such as health, access, and equity
- Learn ways in which social equity and access to opportunity may be incorporated into your work,
- Discover how the Metropolitan Council incorporated equity into transportation planning,
- Understand ways that environmental goals can be incorporated into performance measures and
- Learn about the Massachusetts Global Warming Solutions Act.
Workshop Agenda
11:00 AM Measuring the Economic Impact of Transportation Investments Undergo a review of the suggested economic measures. Learn how to review projects and understand if your investments will pay for themselves. Identify tools for evaluating the economic benefits from transportation projects. Speaker: Beth Osborne, Transportation for America
12:00 PM Lunch
1:00 PM Beyond MAP-21: Measures that Focus on Your Community Designing metrics for community goals. View examples from around the country and discuss how to develop performance measures to address topics such as health, access, and equity. This session will also cover the FAST Act. Speaker: Eric Sundquist, State Smart Transportation Initiative
2:00 PM Social Equity & Access to Opportunity What does social equity and access to opportunity mean? Discover ways in which social equity and access to opportunity may be incorporated into your work. Learn how Metropolitan Council incorporated equity into transportation planning. Speaker: Dan Marckel, Metropolitan Council, Twin Cities, MN
3:00 PM Greenhouse Gas Emissions What are ways that environmental goals can be incorporated into performance measures? This session will also cover the Massachusetts Global Warming Solutions Act. Speaker: Rafael Mares, Conservation Law Foundation.
4:00 PM Moving Forward: Part I – Team Exercise Participate in a group activity, setting the stage for action plan development. Speakers: Transportation for America Staff
5:00 PM Conclusion
Workshop 3: December 12, 2017
Download presentations: Beth Osborne | Chad Tucker
Instructors:
- Chad Tucker, Commonwealth of Virginia
- Beth Osborne, Transportation for America
Workshop Learning Objectives:
T4America will work with Massachusetts’s leaders to develop a shared understanding on:
- Consider the implementation of performance measures in Massachusetts and the agencies that are driving statewide change;
- Analyze the application of performance measures in Virginia, their positives and negatives, and the lessons learned;
- Discuss how to better use performance management in Massachusetts to define transportation success in a way that is relevant to stakeholders and reflects the region's goals.
Workshop Agenda
12:00 PM Welcome and review of learning objectives. Speaker: Beth Osborne, Transportation for America
12:10 PM Working Lunch / Virginia’s Smart Scale Process: Why and how Smart Scale was developed; Q&A. Speaker: Chad Tucker, Commonwealth of Virginia
12:45 PM Virginia’s Application and Scoring Process: A review of what funding Smart Scale applies to, who can apply for funding through this process, what performance measures are applied, what data is required and how the information in communicated to the public and policymakers. Q&A. Speaker: Chad Tucker, Commonwealth of Virginia
1:30 PM Virginia’s Lesson Learned: Discuss what worked and didn’t work in the first 2 rounds of Smart Scale and how Virginia adjusted and made improvements. Q&A. Speaker: Chad Tucker, Commonwealth of Virginia
2:15 PM Results and Examples: Examples of projects funded, how projects have changed in reaction to this process and a discussion of the impact of considering both benefit and costs. Speakers: Chad Tucker, Commonwealth of Virginia; Beth Osborne, Transportation for America
3:00 PM Final thoughts and conclusion
Webinar 1: January 24, 2018, 4:00 - 5:00 PM
Nashville: A Case Study on Integrating Health into Project Selection
Join presenter Rochelle Carpenter of the Greater Nashville Regional Council for a webinar on:
- How Nashville, TN integrated health into their Project Selection.
- Learn how Nashville addresses health, active transportation, and resiliency.
- Discover how Nashville incorporates these topics into project selection and their decision-making framework.
Workshop 4: February 13, 2018
Download presentations: Dave Christopolis, Timothy O'Day, Christof Spieler
Workshop Learning Objectives:
T4America will work with Massachusetts’s leaders to develop a shared understanding on:
- Performance measures that fit and match your agency's size and capabilities
- How performance measures can be applied at different stages of the planning, project development, or construction process
- Transportation and mobility issues facing rural regions in Massachusetts, and a review of opportunities for improved service
- Developing an action plan
Workshop Agenda
11:00 AM Rural Transit: A session on the transportation and mobility issues facing rural regions in Massachusetts, a review of opportunities for improved service, and examples of data-driven planning for community and workforce transportation in less densely populated regions. Speakers: Dave Christopolis, Hilltown Community Development Corporation, and Timothy O'Day, SCM ElderBus
12:00 PM Lunch
1:00 PM Houston's Experience - Bus Network Redesign Learn why the agency undertook the Redesign of their Metro bus Network. Learn who was involved in the effort; what were the benefits the agency was seeking; what performance measures the agency used to evaluate options for the network redesign; and what the results are so far and how the redesign has been greeted by stakeholders. Speaker: Christof Spieler, Director of Planning for the Houston Metro
2:30 PM Defining victory: how we identify and frame transportation projects to help bring progress. Speakers: T4MA and T4A Staff
3:30 PM Moving Forward: Action Plan Development Working session for teams to develop action plans. Speakers: T4MA and T4A Staff
4:00 PM Conclusion
Webinar 2: March 6, 2018, 3:30 - 4:30 PM
How to create a message that resonates
Learn how to frame your discussion of performance measures for success, and how to improve public engagement and talk to skeptics about performance measures. With Stephen Davis of Transportation for America and Josh Ostroff of Transportation for Massachusetts.
Workshop 5: April 3, 2018
Download presentations by Gary Roux, Maureen Mullaney, Melissa Santley, Josh Ostroff and Kevin Thompson
Workshop Learning Objectives:
T4America will work with Massachusetts’s leaders to develop a shared understanding on:
- how RPAs promote future-ready transportation, how they interact with federal and state agencies and transit operators, and their critical role in shaping local transportation decisions
- Review participant Action Plans and identify issues to be addressed in potential webinars
Workshop Agenda
11:00 AM The Evolving Transportation Landscape & Tomorrow’s RPA The RPA is pivotal to managing change at the regional level, planning and implementing with local partners. This session with a panel of RPA transportation planners from across Massachusetts, explores how RPAs promote future-ready transportation, how they interact with federal and state agencies and transit operators, and their critical role in shaping local transportation decisions.
12:30 PM Lunch
1:30 PM Action Plan Review; Concluding Session: Reflections & Next Steps Group discussion on the workshop, reflections, and identification of tools coming out of the workshop and action items for each participant's next steps. Potential topics for future webinars will be suggested by participants.
3:00 PM Conclusion
Webinar 3: May 22, 2018, 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Performance Measurement: MassDOT and National perspectives
As we wrap up the Massachusetts Transportation Leadership Academy, join us on May 22 at 3 PM for our final webinar for a Massachusetts and national perspective on performance measurement. Leading the discussion will be Beth Osborne, Vice President of Transportation at Transportation for America, and Virginia Reeder, Director of Performance Management Coordination at the MassDOT Office of Performance Management and Innovation.
Learn what MassDOT is doing today, and what RPAs, RTAs, municipalities and advocates should know. This will also be an opportunity for you to ask questions about your current and future transportation projects.
For questions, contact Josh Ostroff, Partnerships Director at T4MA.