TCSP Accomplishments: Building the Knowledge Base

The TCSP program stresses evaluation and learning. TCSP projects are intended to provide measurable results and examples of successful practices that can be adopted by other areas. Each FY 1999 TCSP grant includes an evaluation component that describes the applicant's plans for monitoring, evaluating, and analyzing the grant activity and for providing the results of this analysis to State and local governments throughout the country.

Evaluation of TCSP projects focuses on three primary components: 1) the process by which a project is implemented, 2) the products that result from this project, and 3) the outcomes in terms of either projected or actual benefits and costs.

Process evaluation focuses on factors such as who was involved, how effective partnerships were formed, the level of involvement and commitment of each participating group, the specific activities undertaken, and the timeline of events. Process evaluation, for example, can provide insights into how to develop successful planning relationships and implement successful programs.

Products of a TCSP grant may take the form of, for example, a revised transportation plan or zoning ordinance, a new software tool, or a new procedure for public participation. The products resulting from a grant demonstrate the accomplishments of a TCSP project. More importantly, these products also serve as examples that other communities can utilize in developing their own TCSP strategies.

Houston's Main Street Corridor:
An Urban Vision for the Historic Heart
of the Region

Houston’s Main Street Corridor, running southwest from downtown for 8 miles, is the historic heart of the region. After more than a decade of decline, the corridor is experiencing renewed private and public investment. Houston’s Main Street Coalition has taken on the challenge of leveraging this development to create a transit- and pedestrian-oriented corridor. TCSP funds will assist the Main Street Coalition in defining a long-term vision that provides the physical, institutional, legal, and financial framework for development in the corridor. TCSP funds also will assist in developing an evaluation model to track changes in development patterns and travel behavior.

Outcome evaluation focuses on the actual impacts of a TCSP project on the transportation system and the related community livability and quality of life measures. Outcomes might include job creation, improved accessibility, or reduced environmental impacts. While the outcomes of implementing TCSP projects may occur over a relatively long time horizon, many of the FY 1999 grantees, nevertheless, have set the stage for measuring project outcomes by establishing long-term data collection and monitoring plans. The early establishment of monitoring and evaluation procedures will allow for comparisons of impacts before and after implementation of TCSP projects.

A number of projects also include forecasting activities to predict the outcomes of the project in advance, and to assist in choosing among various alternatives. In the Willamette Valley in Oregon, an integrated transportation/land-use model will be applied to forecast the effects of possible future land-use and transportation scenarios. Similarly, the Greater Wasatch Area of Utah will utilize modeling tools to assist in the cost and impact analysis of alternative growth scenarios. The results will help communities make more informed decisions about local and regional transportation and land-use policy choices.