Center GRA Mustafa Sever presented at the 2025 North American Regional Science Council (NARSC) Conference a paper titled “Federal–State–Local Interdependence in U.S. Metropolitan Transportation Planning: A Theoretical and Comparative Regional Analysis.”
The paper examines how intergovernmental fiscal relationships shape metropolitan transportation funding in the United States through a comparative analysis of Transportation Improvement Programs (TIPs) in the Washington Metropolitan Area, the San Francisco Bay Area, and the Dallas–Fort Worth region. Using projected funding data for fiscal years 2023–2028, the study identifies distinct patterns of federal dependence, local fiscal capacity, and the use of innovative financing tools across regions.
Findings show that Washington and Dallas–Fort Worth rely more heavily on federal funding, while the San Francisco Bay Area demonstrates greater fiscal diversification supported by strong local revenue mechanisms. Framed within the theory of fiscal federalism, the analysis highlights the growing role of regional fiscal innovation and local revenue autonomy in sustaining metropolitan transportation investment amid increasing fiscal uncertainty.
