ON NATIVE GROUND: COLLABORATIVE TRANSPORTATION PLANNING ON INDIAN RESERVATIONS
A pilot transportation plan, applying the new guidance of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) to a Native American reservation, has been developed. This plan, for the Cherokee Indian Reservation in western North Carolina, was a cooperative venture between the federal government, the state of North Carolina, and the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians. Ways to increase tribal control over future transportation planning are recommended. Indian tribes are explicitly intended to benefit under the new, more open transportation planning process established by ISTEA. The study devoted particular attention to the nontechnical, process-oriented phases of transportation planning--much more than in most transportation plans prepared by outside consultants. Given the lack of tribal involvement in planning reported in the literature, it was assumed that such emphasis would be necessary. Despite the focus on process and local participation, efforts met with mixed success. Difficulties in accomplishing standard transportation planning collaboratively with a tribe include past intergovernmental tensions, a tradition of grant-seeking as a substitute for long-range planning, and a lack of tribal commitment to plans prepared by outside consultants. To overcome such factors, more substantial changes to the traditional transportation planning process may be necessary. The recommended approach brings tribal leaders and their concerns more actively into transportation planning. Lacking in-house transportation expertise and commitment to comprehensive planning, a more collaborative approach--combining the traditional, time-tested technical planning process with strategic elements--is suggested. Strategic planning, with its focus on the critical issues perceived by local leaders, is more likely to engage and capture the attention of tribes previously outside the transportation decision process. It is also more likely to generate plans that are understood and supported by tribal leaders.
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Availability:
- Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/030906158X
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Supplemental Notes:
- This paper appears in Transportation Research Record No. 1499, Transportation Planning, Management Systems, Public Participation, and Land Use Modeling. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved
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Authors:
- Taylor, Brian D
- 0000-0002-1037-2751
- Godschalk, David R
- Berman, Michael A
- Publication Date: 1995
Language
- English
Media Info
- Features: Figures; References; Tables;
- Pagination: p. 11-18
- Monograph Title: Transportation planning, management systems, public participation, and land use modeling
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Serial:
- Transportation Research Record
- Issue Number: 1499
- Publisher: Transportation Research Board
- ISSN: 0361-1981
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Cooperation; Federal government; Indian reservations; Native Americans; Public participation; Strategic planning; Transportation planning; Tribal government
- Identifier Terms: Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians of North Carolina; Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991
- Geographic Terms: North Carolina
- Subject Areas: Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; Society; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 00714973
- Record Type: Publication
- ISBN: 030906158X
- Files: NTL, TRIS, TRB
- Created Date: Dec 22 1995 12:00AM