Metropolitan transportation planning is a complex process often involving many jurisdictions and public and private interests. It is even more complex in areas that are shared by different peoples and where political uncertainties overshadow the planning process. Metropolitan Jerusalem, shared by Israelis and Palestinians, is one of such areas where transportation planning, particularly for the Palestinian Authority, is a complicated and challenging task. This paper addresses the issues and challenges associated with transportation planning from the Palestinian context in the Metropolitan Area of Jerusalem. This area comprises the highest Palestinian and Israeli urban agglomeration in the West Bank and is expected to experience a considerable increase in travel demand because of the increase in both population and job opportunities. This paper discusses an approach for transportation planning in Jerusalem that is based on the traditional four-step planning procedure, but incorporates inherent uncertainties in input data and plan outcomes.
Samenvatting