Review scenario types

Summary

Scenarios can be organized in a number of ways. Here are example types:
• Intensity: two bookend scenarios are created in terms of the application of planning strategies, and other scenarios fall in between. Organizing scenarios in this way can be effective at demonstrating the benefits of good planning, and in particular, of linking land use and transportation planning. However, it does necessarily lead to prioritization of the most effective strategies.
• Location: growth, in terms of population and jobs, is directed to certain parts of the region. This organizing theme can show how the impacts of growth, in terms of environment, congestion, and other factors, can vary depending on where this growth occurs.
• Investments and policies: different transportation investments, land use policies, or other variables make up each scenario. This allows the impact of different planning strategies to be tested, leading to a more complete understanding of the effect of each. However, the construction of scenarios is much more difficult, because a nearly infinite number of scenarios could be created by arranging the strategies in different ways, and because strategies must be researched before scenario evaluation occurs to determine their potential effects.