Review of Sustainability Rating Systems for Transportation and Neighborhood-Level Developments

Over the past 10 years, there has been a proliferation of methodologies and tools for rating the sustainability of transportation-related projects both in the United States and internationally. These tools provide the ability to evaluate the sustainability of alternative transportation and land development policies, plans, and projects. The tools therefore facilitate the process of making transportation and land development decisions that contribute to community sustainability in practice. This study reviews and assesses approaches to rating the sustainability of transportation systems and neighborhood developments by highlighting the state of the practice, outlining similarities and differences in the existing approaches, and determining which tools are more appropriate for various contexts and when it is valuable to combine different tools. The study also identifies opportunities for improving the existing practice.