Federal Transportation Policy and the Role of Metropolitan Planning Organizations in California

This book provides an overview of postwar transportation policy at the federal and state levels, focusing in particular on the evolution of metropolitan planning organizations, which have played a major role in urban transportation planning since the early 1960’s.  The authors examine the regional issues facing urban areas and the effect of intergovernmental relations on transportation planning in California.  Although the authors focus specifically on transportation policy, their findings also illuminate a central issue in the devolution of government responsibility – namely, that incentives and outcomes may vary considerably, depending on the level of government making the decisions.