Land Use

As we grow older, will our community be ready for us? This question is important for all of us, regardless of whether we live in a city, a suburb, a small town, or out in the country. And it is particularly relevant for those persons age 50 and older who are planning for (or have already entered) retirement or who are facing the challenges to independence and quality of life that often accompany aging.

This report presents a framework for conducting and documenting environmental management activities by corridor.

This field survey attempts to identify the number and location of "regional-serving" walkable urban places in the 30 largest American metropolitan areas in the U.S, where 138 million, or 46 percent, of the US population lives. This field survey determines where these walkable urban places are most prevalent on a per capita basis, where they are generally located within the metro area, and the extent to which rail transit service is associated with walkable urban development. The first section defines the key concepts used in the survey, providing relevant background information for those who have not read The Option of Urbanism. The second section outlines the methodology. The third section, which is the heart of the report, outlines the findings and conclusions of the survey.

"Smart Mobility 2010: A Call to Action for the New Decade" responds to today's transportation challenges with new concepts and tools, presented with a program for putting them into action.

This report presents the results of the first phase of a two phase research project undertaken by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to study travel characteristics of infill development in California’s metropolitan areas.

As part of the City of Charlotte's Smart Growth strategy, staff and consultants are developing comprehensive new urban street design guidelines to be applied to all new and modified streets. The design guidelines provide for all travel modes, while explicitly considering land use context, street function, and allocation among competing uses for often-limited right-of-way. The design guidelines offer direction on planning and designing for five street types and their intersections. As important as the "ideal" cross-sections developed, however, is the information provided to guide the tradeoff decisions inherent in street design, particularly in retrofit or modification situations. To that end, the guidelines include a step-by-step approach to their application.

This policy and technical document lays out a plan for context-sensitive complete streets in the City of Charlotte to improve the safety and neighborhood livability, promote transportation choices, and meet land use objectives consistent with the City's Urban Street Design Guidelines.

Flyer for a form-based code charette in Columbia Pike, Colorado

Instead of relying on vehicle LOS as the primary performance measure in transportation impact studies, agencies need to consider the tradeoffs between LOS and other important community values and other modes. This paper will present a new paradigm for transportation planning and impact analysis that reflects the inherent tradeoffs associated with vehicle travel, urban development form, and the treatment of other modes. The new paradigm will reflect a fundamental change in our current thresholds based analysis approach and it will demonstrate new analysis methodologies

Context Zones—Every thoroughfare has an immediate physical context created by buildings and activities on adjacent properties and is also part of a broader context created by the surrounding neighborhood or district. While the elements of context can combine in almost infinite varieties, this report uses four context zones to define and categorize urban areas: suburban (C-3), general urban (C-4), urban center (C-5) and urban core (C-6).

Definition of Boulevard—In highly urban areas, boulevards can be "grand boulevards"— streets that help form a city's identity, a formal street designed to beautify and be a primary public space, a promenade. Boulevards can also serve as the urban core's spine, a major commercial corridor served by rail or bus transit having a primary mobility rolecollectors). The report was a joint effort between the Institute of Transportation Engineers and the Congress for the New Urbanism, sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Definition of Avenue—In all contexts, but particularly in urban centers and cores, avenues make up the majority of thoroughfares comprising the network. Avenues are moderate-speed (30 to 35 mph) urban arterial or collector thoroughfares, generally shorter in length than boulevards. They are primary pedestrian and bicycle routes and may serve local transit. Avenues do not exceed four lanes. Generally, avenues are undivided but some feature a raised landscaped median.the Congress for the New Urbanism, sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Creating Quality Main Streets—Main streets may be located in any context zone, but are most commonly found in suburban (C-3), general urban (C-4) and urban center (C-5) contexts. They are usually short segments of arterial or collector streets, often only a few blocks in length. They are within a grid or interconnected system of local streets serving the commercial center of town.

The publication provides a resource for practitioners working in the challenging practice of urban thoroughfare design. The principles are based on the evolving practice of context sensitive solutions (CSS), which integrates CSS principles into existing processes to facilitate informed decision-making that considers the needs, interests and constraints within a project. The publication describes:

• The importance of integrating the principles of CSS in urban roadway improvement projects,
• How CSS principles can be used in the transportation planning and project development processes, and
• Specific guidance on thoroughfare cross-section and intersection design.

Information contained in the report uses urban context to describe adjacent surroundings, then uses context to help select compatible thoroughfare types and design criteria. Context zones are used to categorize urban development density and intensity.

Strategies for Metropolitan Atlanta's Transportation and Air Quality aims to develop a framework for reducing auto dependence and vehicle emissions in the Atlanta Metropolitan Area, while maintaining economic vitality . The data analysis from this study shows that in order for Atlanta to achieve their regional goals of clean air, decreased auto dependence, and a high quality of life, a land use plan to focus growth into existing and emerging urban centers was needed.

Ahwahnee Principles for Livable Communities: Response to our members' concerns over sprawling, poorly planned development in their communities; Assembled with assistance from leading architects and planners working on innovative solutions; Revitalize existing parts of our communities through infill development; Plan complete and integrated communities with mix of uses; Within walking distance of one another; Within walking distance of transit stops; With a diversity of housing types; With a center focus

Complete the streets so everyone can use them safely and conveniently—that's the new cry of advocates, planners and elected officials who are behind a movement to fundamentally alter the way roads are planned, designed and built.

Complete streets foster livable communities — Communities are increasingly embracing smart growth to meet their residents' desire for choices in housing, shopping, recreation, and transportation. Complete streets meet the demand for transportation options, while promoting other community goals. They provide safe and affordable access for everyone, whether traveling to school, work, the doctor, or their favorite restaurant.

Governor Schwarzenegger signed into law on September 30th Assembly Bill 1358, the California Complete Streets Act of 2008 authored by Assemblyman Mark Leno (D-San Francisco). The new law requires cities and counties to include complete streets policies as part of their general plans so that roadways are designed to safely accommodate all users, including bicyclists, pedestrians, transit riders, children, older people, and disabled people, as well as motorists.

Communities across the country are realizing the 'green' potential of their streets. Making our transportation system more sustainable involves many policies and practices that minimize environmental impact and create streets that are safe for everyone, regardless of age, ability, or mode of transportation. Complete streets are a natural complement to sustainability efforts, ensuring benefits for mobility, community, and the environment. Many elements of street design, construction, and operation can work in favor of achieving both complete streets that work for all travelers and 'green' streets that serve environmental sustainability. Complete Streets are designed and operated so they work for all users.

Communities across the country are realizing the ‘green’ potential of their streets. Making our transportation system more sustainable involves many policies and practices that minimize environmental impact and create streets that are safe for everyone, regardless of age, ability, or mode of transportation. Complete streets are a natural complement to sustainability efforts, ensuring benefits for mobility, community, and the environment. Many elements of streetdesign, construction, and operation can work in favor of achieving both complete streets that work for all travelers and ‘green’ streets that serve environmental sustainability. Complete Streets are designed and operated so they work for all users.

The objective of this research was to investigate whether a relationship exists between street network characteristics and the choice of transportation modes selected in a neighborhood. In this study, we controlled for factors such as street characteristics, vehicle volumes, activity levels, income levels, proximity to limited access highways and to the downtown area. The results suggest that all three of the fundamental characteristics of a street network — street connectivity, street network density, and street patterns — are statistically significant in affecting the choice to drive, walk, bike, or take transit.

The paper examines the role of the street network in road safety outcomes. Data on more than 130,000 crashes occurring over nine years in 24 medium-sized California cities was input into a geographic information system (GIS) and evaluated against principal measures of street network density and connectivity at the Census Block Group level. Few studies have taken this more comprehensive approach of looking at the complete street network when it comes to safety, partly because until now this kind of holistic assessment would have been very difficult without recent advances in research tools such as GIS.

The Complete Streets Act of 2007 will ensure that the transportation plans of California communities meet the needs of all users of the roadway including pedestrians, bicyclists, users of public transit, motorists, children, the elderly, and the disabled. By encouraging good planning for all modes of travel, the AB 1358 will make our roads safer and more convenient places for Californians who choose to walk, ride a bike, or take transit.

Through interviews with architects, planners, developers, and property managers of case study multifamily developments from Oregon, Arizona, Florida, and Massachusetts, this report focuses on the ways regulation, typical development practice, and design culture have propagated the typical disconnected and enclaved forms of suburban multifamily development. The report then proposes ways in which current planning, development, and design practices might shift in order to take advantage of this growing housing trend and create more livable, less congested, and multi-modal suburban communities.

The purpose of this guide on "How to Develop a Pedestrian Safety Action Plan" is to present an overview and framework for state and local agencies to develop and implement a Pedestrian Safety Action Plan tailored to their specific problems and needs. Pedestrian Safety Action Plan is a plan developed by community stakeholders that is intended to improve pedestrian safety in the community. An objective of the guide is to help state and local officials know where to begin to address pedestrian safety issues. it is also intended to assist agencies in further enhancing their existing pedestrian safety programs and activites, including identifying safety problems and selecting optimal solutions.

Integration of Green Infrastructure & Networks with Complete Streets in San Francisco

Regardless of their size, communities can realize three major benefits from better connectivity: shorter trips, a winder variety of travel choices, and more cost-effective public services and infrastructure. Creating more direct connections shortens travel time, which effectively brings people closer to their destinations. With more available connections, community residents can get to schools, shopping centers, and other spots that may have simply been off their radar before—not because these places were too far away, but because they were too far out of the way.

Concerns about livability are shared by every type of community, in inner cities, small towns and rural areas. This booklet explores how people in these communities are working in partnership with transportation agencies on locally-initiated projects and programs to create transportation systems that enhance places. While this booklet emphasizes the direct relationship between community reinvigoration and community-supportive transit facilities, case studies also demonstrate how the sympathetic design of roadways strengthens the connection between the two.

The case studies in this booklet offer a small sample of the ways in which highway projects can be designed with imagination, creativity, and collaboration to preserve and enhance the character and quality of a community without sacrificing transportation mobility and safety. While these few examples illustrate the art of the possible, throughout the country we see a new commitment to collaboration leading to more imaginatively designed facilities that enrich the communities in which they are located.

For jurisdictions looking to update or revise their development codes into a more graphic-oriented document, SACOG has made publicly available its Form-Based Codes Handbook for download. Form-based codes are becoming a more commonly used way of communicating the type of development that a jurisdiction wants and what is allowed.

Every two years, SACOG conducts a programming round to allocate funds to projects based on apportionments of regional Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ), Regional Surface Transportation Program (RSTP), and State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) funds. These funds are programmed through the Air Quality, Bicycle & Pedestrian, Community Design, Transportation Demand Management (TDM) and Regional/Local funding programs.

The Concept Plan process has provided an opportunity for Carmichael residents, property owners and County departments to participate in creating a design concept for Fair Oaks Boulevard. The Concept Plan illustrates Draft General Plan and Carmichael Community Plan draft policies, addresses the creation of a special planning area (SPA), and compares roadway design options. Specifically, the concept plan illustrates ways in which the community's desires for Fair Oaks Boulevard can be meshed with the roadway project proposed by the County of Sacramento.

This report was developed to analyze the market demand for commercial services and assess the potential to develop and market higher density infill housing along the North Watt Corridor. This market study is incorporated into the existing conditions report, as the first phase of the revitalization plan. The market study will provide a framework for presenting realistic land use alternatives along the Corridor.

The Collaborative's Transportation Team has been particularly focused on practices that will assist the Sacramento countywide area achieve the vision of at least at 10% shift in travel mode from automobiles to walking, cycling, and transit. Transit use is forecasted to increase from 1.3% of trips to 4% or 5% or more, in the Sacramento countywide area.

A diverse group of more than 100 citizens from all walks of life came together in 2001 as the Sacramento Transportation and Air Quality Collaborative. These participants represented businesses, the environment, public agencies, community groups, underserved populations and local neighborhood areas. For five years, these community leaders and agency staff contributed countless hours to education, dialogue, deliberation and consensus building in this civic engagement effort.

Complete streets can improve population health indirectly — through increased walking, biking, and transit use, Increased physical activity, Less obesity and chronic disease, Reduced respiratory conditions, deaths, other conditions related to air pollution — and Directly — through Reduced traffic injuries and deaths, and increased social interaction.

1. Transportation Action Plan
2. USDG Philosophy and Approach
3. Applying the Six-Step Plan/Design Process

1. Ditch concurrency
2. Code form
3. Get network
4. Complete streets
5. High Speed Rail: Again? Local?