The NADO Research Foundation 2011 report Transportation Project Prioritization and Performance-based Planning Efforts in Rural and Small Metropolitan Regions (PDF) provides an overview of the state of the practice in non-metro regional transportation planning, including the contract amounts, RPO tasks, and committee structures. The research also examines rural long-range planning efforts and criteria used to rank regional priority projects. With case studies on the statewide and regional planning processes in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Washington, the document provides examples for rural and small metro regions looking to formalize their planning process. This report was developed with support from the Federal Highway Administration.