Abstract
New York State Department of Transportation’s (NYSDOT’s) GreenLITES (Leadership In Transportation and Environmental Sustainability) programs are collectively one of the leading sustainable transportation performance assessment systems in the US. This case study begins by examining the historical context that enabled the GreenLITES programs to be created, after which each of the programs is discussed. A unique aspect explored in the case is how the GreenLITES certification (or rating) programs are promoting change within NYSDOT. Particular attention is paid to how the data (or indicators) from the programs are used within a multi-actor decision-making context (Holden 2013). The case study concludes by examining how NYSDOT’s four asset management teams (specifically the Sustainability team) and the Comprehensive Program Team (CPT) build on the GreenLITES programs to promote a culture of sustainability across the agency. Attention is paid to how the GreenLITES certification data and sustainability concepts are used in the context of the Learn, Decide, Forecast, and Communicate indicator application types (described in Chap. 6).
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Notes
- 1.
Source: NYSDOT, Responsibilities and Functions, https://www.dot.ny.gov/about-nysdot/responsibilities-and-functions (accessed on May 24, 2015).
- 2.
Note: US metrics are used in this case study to present the information in its original form.
- 3.
Source: NYSDOT, Operations Certification Program, https://www.dot.ny.gov/programs/greenlites/operations-cert (accessed on May 24, 2015).
- 4.
Source: NYSDOT Sustainability Policy, https://www.dot.ny.gov/programs/greenlites/sustainability (accessed on May 24, 2015).
- 5.
See Greenroads, https://www.greenroads.org/ (accessed on May 24, 2015).
- 6.
See LEED, http://www.usgbc.org/leed/rating-systems (accessed on May 24, 2015).
- 7.
In the USA, the term pavement refers to a road surface.
- 8.
The STARS-Plan tool is accompanied by a STARS-Project tool (focused on the design of road, transit, bicycle, and pedestrian projects) and STARS Safety, Health, and Equity tool (focused on improving the health outcomes from transportation projects) (STC 2012).
- 9.
Source: NYSDOT, GreenLITES for Sustainable Planning, https://www.dot.ny.gov/programs/greenlites/GreenLITESplanning (accessed on May 24, 2015).
- 10.
See GreenLITES Awards, https://www.dot.ny.gov/programs/greenlites/awards (accessed on May 24, 2015).
- 11.
For more information about FHWA’s Sustainable Highways Self-Evaluation Tool, see the INVEST website, https://www.sustainablehighways.org/ (accessed on May 24, 2015).
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Acknowledgment
We would like to thank Debra Nelson and Paul Krekeler from NYSDOT for the time, information, and insight they shared with us during the preparation of this case study.
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Gudmundsson, H., Hall, R.P., Marsden, G., Zietsman, J. (2016). New York’s GreenLITES Rating Systems. In: Sustainable Transportation. Springer Texts in Business and Economics. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-46924-8_10
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