Freight Transportation Professionals and Advocates:

The FHWA Office of Planning and FHWA Office of Freight Management and Operations have jointly organized a webinar focused on Freight Scenario Planning.  Registration is now open for this webinar, and more details about the webinar are shown below. 

Topic: Scenario Planning Applications for Freight Transportation Webinar

Date: Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Time: 1:00 – 2:30 P.M. ET

Registration link: http://www.nhi.fhwa.dot.gov/resources/webconference/web_conf_learner_reg.aspx?webconfid=27653

Description: Professionals in many fields, including freight transportation, often try to make future projections to gain a better understanding about what the future will look like and how to better plan for that future.  However, in many cases, future projections prove to be inaccurate, due to unforeseen events that alter the projected growth patterns. These events occur in various forms, including macro-scale natural or human-induced disasters or incidents, macro-scale economic changes, demographic changes, political and/or regulatory changes, technological developments, or other significant events that alter previously established patterns of human activities. The unforeseen disruptive events can make it difficult to plan for desired future transportation scenarios, though at the same time, they can facilitate more flexible transportation planning, including freight transportation planning, if the attributes that are associated with disruptive events are identified and understood before they happen.

This webinar, led by the FHWA Offices of Planning and Freight Management and Operations, will explore the use of scenario planning as a way to inform freight infrastructure and supply chain management activities and investments.  Scenario planning is an analytical process that can help public and private sector transportation professionals plan for the future and better understand what changes might happen in the future. Agencies are increasingly finding value in applying the principles of scenario planning to freight transportation planning and decision-making.

The webinar will include the following presentations:

Freight Transportation Scenario Planning Overview – Understanding the Possible Impact Factors

This presentation will examine some challenges that can arise when trying to make projections about the future based on past trends. It will also discuss how identifying and examining hypothetical future scenarios can lead to insights about future freight transportation needs.

SPEAKER:

· Dr. Chris Caplice, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Understanding Hypothetical Future Scenarios to Enhance Freight Transportation Planning – State DOT Perspective

This presentation will discuss how a state Department of Transportation can examine hypothetical future scenarios to inform its freight transportation planning efforts within the state and with bordering states, and gain a better understanding about likely freight needs that are consistent among the various scenarios examined.

SPEAKER:

· Barbara Ivanov, Washington State Department of Transportation

Understanding Hypothetical Future Scenarios to Enhance Freight Transportation Planning – MPO Perspective

This presentation will discuss how a Metropolitan Planning Organization can examine hypothetical future scenarios to enhance its freight transportation planning efforts in its metropolitan area and with its State DOT and nearby MPO partners, and gain a better understanding about likely freight needs that are consistent across the various scenarios examined.

SPEAKER:

· Ted Dahlburg, Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (Philadelphia MPO)

The presentations, which will take approximately 60 minutes, will be followed by a roughly 30-minute question and answer session through the chat pod and live over the phone. If you have any specific questions you would like to submit to the presenters in advance of the webinar, please send them to Rae Keasler of FHWA at [log in to unmask].  This course is being considered by the American Planning Association (APA) for 1.5 AICP Certification Maintenance (CM) credits. 

If you have any questions, suggested future topics, would like to participate in a webinar session, or would like receive technical assistance on scenario planning, please refer to the TPCB Scenario Planning Website, or contact Rae Keasler in the FHWA Office of Planning at [log in to unmask] or (202) 366-0329 or Jeff Price in the FTA Office of Planning and Environment at [log in to unmask] or (202) 366-0843.

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Kenneth N. Petty, II

Department of Transportation

Acting Director

FHWA, Office of Planning

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE  Room E72-332

Washington, DC  20590

Email:  [log in to unmask]

Ph:  202.366.6654

Fax:  202.493.2198

Be sure to check out the various resources and reference documents found on the Transportation Planning Capacity Building Program website, http://planning.dot.gov!