The Gateway Programme: Structured Decision Making to Link Climate Change and Sustainable Development in a Transportation Planning Context

Problem Definition

This case study demonstrates how structured decision making (SDM) tools such as objective hierarchies and influence diagrams can be used to structure a transportation planning decision with a focus on linkages between climate change adaptation and mitigation (AM) and sustainable development (SD) planning.

The case study focuses on the Gateway Programme, a multi-billion dollar expansion of the arterial road network for the Greater Vancouver region in the province of British Columbia (BC), Canada. Substantial new road and bridge infrastructure is slated for construction in 2007-2012 and congestion management measures such as tolling and high-occupancy vehicle lanes are also being considered.

According to the BC Ministry of Transportation (2006), the Gateway Programme's ultimate goals are to promote quality of life and economic growth, common features in SD policies. Despite the importance of transport infrastructure to both climate change AM objectives, the planning framework for the Gateway Programme lacks explicit consideration of climate change. This case study is a counterfactual example of how SDM could be used to link climate change and SD in a transparent and comprehensive decision process.

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