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Emergency management is often evaluated and improved after the occurrence of a disaster, especially in the case of preparedness. This paper discusses the importance of logistics planning and operation as it relates to disaster preparedness. The selection of field logistics sites such as staging areas, prior to the occurrence of a natural or man-made disaster, is a crucial step in emergency planning and management. Selection can be aided and kept consistent by preidentifying state and county-level guidelines for staging areas. This paper reviews state and county criteria for the pre-selection of staging areas and discusses supporting logistical operations in disaster management.

Transportation financing public-private partnerships (P3s) are a common practice in many countries. However, they represent a relatively new approach to transportation infrastructure financing for state and local governments in the United States. In a transportation financing P3 project, a private sector partner designs-builds-finances-operates-maintains (DBFOM) a transportation infrastructure asset (road, highway, bridge, tunnel, etc.) with an emphasis on financing. Under this type of arrangement, the private sector partner is primarily responsible for securing all or substantially all of the funding necessary to construct new transportation infrastructure and/or rehabilitate existing transportation infrastructure. This study reviews the international experience of national and sub-national governments with transportation financing P3s. The primary purpose of this study is to identify internationally recommended best practices in transportation financing P3s. Based upon the study findings, a checklist in then proposed that can be used by U.S. state and local governments to assess their current or proposed transportation financing P3 policies and procedures. The article makes a contribution to the literature on transportation financing P3s by bringing together for the first time internationally recommended best practices in ten major areas.

Increasing roadway usage has made achieving public transportation goals more challenging. Federal legislation has recognized that advanced technology, creating systems deployed by public-private partnerships (PPPs), can help meet these goals. Advanced Traveler Information Systems (ATIS) represent efforts to provide travelers with information about real-time traffic conditions so that they can make informed decisions about travel plans. Five model ATIS PPPs found in varying US metropolitan areas are proposed, each reflecting different roles and responsibilities of public and private partners. Actual experience is assessed, noting that ATIS PPPs often must evolve from one model to another to maximize effectiveness.

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