Metropolitan planning organizations : change agents or in need of change?

Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) allocate hundreds of billions of dollars annually for transportation projects in metropolitan areas. The decisions made by MPOs about how to allocate these funds profoundly affects the physical environment of metropolitan regions and the ability of residents to access jobs, housing, schools, and basic services. The current paradigm holds that MPOs are weak and insignificant players in metropolitan reform efforts in part due to their limited authority, voluntary membership, and the parochial tendencies of local units of government. I theorize that MPOs are critical partners in realizing metropolitan reforms. Utilizing a mixed methods research design, through interviews with MPO leadership and a quantitative analysis of a unique dataset of approximately 12,000 projects from 43 MPOs, I examine the role descriptive representation, leadership, and organizational processes play in influencing MPO decisions and regional transportation outcomes.