Arguments are put forth that the current urban transportation planning process is failing to address itself to the causal factors and elements of the urban environment that creat the demand for travel. The approach to urban transportation analysis and development is argued to be best done through work on special facilities. Special facilities are defined as the basic building blocks of life in the urban environment. The reason for the study of special facilities needs is that the true determinants of travel behavior can be best established at this level. Using trip-aggregate models behavior specific to special facilities is suppressed. The success of disaggregate (individual-based) models in modeling modal choice behavior is extended to the analysis of special facilities. The need for policy-sensitive models further exemplifies special facilities models.