Establishing a system-wide vision is an increasingly complex activity for transportation organizations. Today, worldwide disruptive events and multiple influential trends must be considered when developing long-range policies and plans that support ambitious visions for transportation systems around the world.  

In the following Q&A, Richard Chavez—Vice President, Advisory Services, and National Long-Range and Strategic Planning Lead—explores how system dynamics is helping Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) conduct multidisciplinary trend analysis to inform policies and plans. SCAG is the largest metropolitan planning organization in the United States, representing six counties, 191 cities and more than 19 million residents.