Welcome to the first issue of Study Notes, the quarterly newsletter of the Transportation and Regional Growth Study.

The Center for Transportation Studies (CTS) is pleased to coordinate this multifaceted study of the relationship between transportation and land use in the Twin Cities metropolitan region. The Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) and the Metropolitan Council initially requested that CTS undertake this study to provide increased knowledge and understanding about the complex relationship between transportation and regional growth.

Both organizations are represented on the study's Program Management Team and Policy Leader Committee—groups that provide the overall direction and guidance for this work. We are fortunate to have a number of other groups and individuals willing to lend their time and expertise to us. Complete rosters for these committees, as well as for the Faculty Advisory Committee, are listed elsewhere in this newsletter.

As you will see, this study is a major undertaking. Faculty from CTS, the University's Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, the Department of Geography, and the Department of Applied Economics are involved with the research component. Faculty from other disciplines, such as the College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, also are expected to join.

Projects are currently under way in three of the study's research areas: Part I—Twin Cities

Regional Dynamics; Part II—Passenger and Freight Travel Demand Patterns; and Part III—Full Transportation Costs and Cost Incidence. An article summarizing the first research report from Part I, The Role of Housing Markets, Regulatory Frameworks, and Local Government Finance, appears below. The research team, led by Professor John S. Adams, has already begun work on the next phase of the project.

Equally important to the research effort is the study's education and public involvement component, designed to communicate research results to policymakers, stakeholder groups, and the general public. Besides this newsletter, a Transportation and Regional Growth Study Web page—available at the CTS Web site, www.cts.umn.edu/trg/—provides more in-depth information. Look inside for an article on the site's content.

We are also planning a number of events that will highlight junctures in the research projects and provide opportunities for review and feedback from individuals and groups interested in the study. In addition, we are exploring ways to bring in national experts to offer their perspectives on the issues of transportation and land use. Event announcements will be mailed and also listed on the Web, in this newsletter, and in the CTS Report monthly newsletter.

We hope that you, too, will take the time to provide us with your comments and questions about the study through the Web site, or by phone, fax, or mail. Your involvement is important as we move forward, and we encourage you to stay in touch.