In summer of 2012 Congress adopted an update to the federal transportation program known as Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st century, or MAP-21.  While it stopped short of providing more robust funding or a sweeping vision for infrastructure the 21st century, MAP-21 makes significant changes to federal transportation policy that are critical to understand.

This handbook, from Transportation for America, attempts to explain the many changes — positive and negative — between the new transportation program MAP-21 and its predecessor SAFETEA-LU.  Of note for those working on active transportation, MAP-21’s Transportation Alternatives program consolidates the previous Transportation Enhancements, Safe Routes to Schools and Recreational Trails programs while reducing the funding for these types of projects by a third.

The handbooks explains:

• Funding changes and how they affect projects
• New performance measures
• How to shape plans and projects in your community
• Tools and financing
• And more