THE CROSSTOWN CONTROVERSY: A CASE STUDY

A CASE STUDY OF THE CONTROVERSY SURROUNDING A PROPOSED CROSSTOWN HIGHWAY IN PHILADELPHIA IS EMPLOYED TO EVALUATE URBAN DECISION-MAKING PROCESSES AND INSTITUTIONS. THE BASIC ISSUES HAVE REMAINED UNRESOLVED FOR NEARLY HALF A CENTURY, AND NO ULTIMATE SOLUTION IS LIKELY TO BE GENERATED BY EXISTING INSTITUTIONS. A PRINCIPAL OBSTACLE TO EFFECTIVE HIGHWAY PLANNING OCCURRED WITH THE INTRODUCTION OF NORMATIVE VALUES AND COMPETITION AMONG POLITICAL INTEREST GROUPS. THE AUTHOR NOTES PARTICULARLY THAT VALUE JUDGEMENTS WERE MADE THROUGHOUT DISCUSSIONS THAT WERE OSTENSIBLY TECHNICAL IN NATURE. IN ADDITION, THE REPORT NOTES THAT PLANNING AUTHORITY WAS OFTEN FRAGMENTED SO AS TO PRODUCE COMPETITION AMONG PUBLIC AGENCIES AND INTEREST GROUP REPRESENTATIVES. BENEFIT-COST ANALYSES WERE SHOWN EITHER TO IGNORE RELEVANT COMMUNITY AND SOCIAL VALUES OR TO OVEREMPHASIZE SUBJECTIVE JUDGMENTS BY THE ANALYSTS THEMSELVES. THE REPORT ALSO NOTES A GENERAL LACK OF AUTHORITY TO CHOOSE BETWEEN TECHNICAL AND SOCIAL ASPECTS OF THE PROPOSED CONSTRUCTION. IN GENERAL, THE POLICY PLANNING PROCESS WAS CHARACTERIZED BY FRAGMENTATION, POLITICAL PRESSURES AND A GENERAL FAILURE TO HANDLE THE MIX OF SUBJECTIVE AND OBJECTIVE ARGUMENTATION. SEVERAL SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS ARE ADVANCED TO REDRESS THE CURRENT DISORGANIZATION OF PARTICIPANTS IN URBAN HIGHWAY PLANNING PROCESSES. THE KEY PROPOSAL WOULD BE PROVISION OF COMMUNITY TECHNICAL SERVICES (CTS) TO IMPROVE AND INCREASE COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION IN TRANSPORTATION DECISION-MAKING. THE CTS WOULD REPLACE PUBLIC HEARINGS, WHICH ARE POOR VEHICLES FOR COMMUNITY SELF-EXPRESSION. RELATED ADMINISTRATIVE AND BUDGETARY ADAPTATIONS ARE ALSO DISCUSSED. A SECOND BASIC RECOMMENDATION WOULD INSTITUTE A PROVISION FOR JUDICIAL REVIEW IN RESOLVING SIMILAR HIGHWAY CONTROVERSIES. EXISTING PROCEDURES PROVIDE NO ROLE FOR DISINTERESTED THIRD-PARTIES, AND THE COURTS COULD SERVE WELL IN SUCH A CAPACITY. THE PURPOSE OF EMPLOYING JUDICIAL REVIEW BE TO FILTER OUT POLICY-MAKERS' NORMATIVE VALUES. /UMTA/

• Supplemental Notes:
  • PROJ NO URT-8
• Corporate Authors:

  University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia

  Transportation Studies Center, 3400 Walnut Street
  Philadelphia, PA  United States  19104
• Authors:
  • Reiner, T A
• Publication Date: 1970-9

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Administration; Attitudes; Benefit cost analysis; Courts; Decision making; Highway planning; Policy; Politics; Public participation; Social values
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Economics; Highways; Law; Policy; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00240124
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Urban Mass Transportation Administration
• Files: TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Nov 7 1972 12:00AM