Are we only interested in integrating planning and environment project development functions?
No. Although our focus has been on a seamless handoff between planning and environment, the current initiative also emphasizes integration of right-of-way, construction and civil rights process elements and requirements into the decision-making mix. This use of interdisciplinary talents and skills helps to ensure that community impacts, economic impacts, and constructability of proposed projects, including avoidance and mitigation measures, are considered as part of the project decision-making process. Likewise, carrying over environmental expertise into the construction phase is critical to successful implementation of environmental commitments, resulting in an environmentally sound project. In order to qualify as an integrated approach, the integration does not have to be comprehensive across the organization to start, but it must be systematic, collaborative, interdisciplinary, and institutionalized. Integrated approaches may include any combination of interdisciplinary elements, su
