Montana Transportation and Land Use Scenario Planning Analysis Tools

What are scenario planning analysis tools?

A variety of scenario planning software tools have been developed to assess the relationship between transportation, land use, and economic development. The FHWA Tool Kit for Integrating Land Use and Transportation Decision-Making provides an overview and case studies of several of these software platforms.

Some of the most commonly used scenario planning tools include GIS computer simulations to develop alternative future land use scenarios and models to assess factors such as land consumption, travel demand, water and sewer demands, and public expenditures. Each tool is designed to address a specific set of questions, using a specific set of assumptions and hence, tools vary in context for application, budget, and technical capabilities. Two scenario planning tools that have been applied in Montana are CommunityViz and Spatial Growth Model. A brief description of these tools, as well as others that have been used across the US, are provided below:

http://www.mdt.mt.gov/research/toolkit/m1/tatools/tlut/spsp.shtml