Metropolitan Planning Organization Reform: A National Agenda for Reforming Metropolitan Governance
The Institute issues this policy brief recommending significant reform of Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) in order to further fair and sustainable metropolitan growth nationally. Too often, important public policy decisions dealing with labor, housing, transportation, and the environment are made at the local government level rather than regionally. The outcome in most metropolitan regions has been political fragmentation with inefficient land use, destruction and loss of natural resources, increased congestion and pollution, and geographic concentration of affordable housing.
Metropolitan reform, especially in the transportation and housing sectors, has gained political momentum in recent years. Coupled with the unprecedented opportunities presented by federal government efforts to stimulate the economy, the time is ripe to establish and strengthen regional governance systems to coordinate public policies at appropriate regional scales. Comprehensive MPO reform is the most viable means to metropolitan reform. Existing MPOs constitute a wide network of regional organizations with experience grappling with the intricacies of metropolitan policy. This network, numbering nearly 400, represents the most viable and sensible vehicle for nationwide reform of regional governance. Reforms must focus on enhancing the capacities of MPOs to govern entire regions fairly by ensuring that they are truly representative of all important regional interests.
