Does Discussion Enhance Rationality? A Report from Transportation Planning Practice

The narrow conception of rationality embodied in transportation planning is poorly suited to resolving goal conflicts. This article explores a broader view of what is rational, drawing on the ideas of communicative rationality. It offers a report from practice based on a case study of an access planning process at the Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART). We consider propositions that the planning process enhanced deliberation about ends, improved issue framing through simultaneous engagement of means and ends, and enlarged the deliberative capacity of the organization. The article provides insights into these propositions and suggests ways that communicative rationality theory can improve transportation planning and policy.