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| Image credit: Inhabitat |
Transportation corridors and facilities are major components of the nation’s landscape and public realm. Integrating comprehensive transportation planning with natural systems analysis and land use planning is essential for creating livable communities in sustainable environments.
The alignment, scale, and character of our thoroughfares play an integral role in determining urban form, development patterns, and a sense of place. Streets and highways should enhance interconnected transportation options, particularly for pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders, and people with disabilities. All multi-modal transportation systems should be safe, efficient, convenient, and beautiful.
Other Resource Guides in this Series:
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Sustainable Residential Design Resource Guides:
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U.S. Organizations Centre for Sustainable Transportation Context Sensitive SolutionsInstitute for Transportation and Development PolicyLivable Streets Initiative
National Complete Streets Coalition Reconnecting America, Center for Transit-Oriented DevelopmentSurface Transportation Policy Partnership
Transportation for America
U.C. Davis Sustainable Transportation Center
International Organizations
EMBARQ, The World Resources Institute (WRI) Center for Sustainable Transport
United Nations Environment Program (UNEP): Moving Towards Sustainable Mobility
World Business Council for Sustainable Development: Sustainable Mobility Resources
Sustainable Transportation Planning
Sustainable communities have well-connected, easily accessible transportation networks that provide attractive, safe, comfortable, and cost-effective access; improve mobility; and support economic vitality as well as environmental quality. Sustainable transportation planning should be a component of regional and local land use planning, matching infrastructure capacity with current and proposed land uses.
Well-managed transportation corridors should preserve the inherent natural and cultural characteristics, while balancing transportation, community, and environmental considerations. As members of interdisciplinary teams, landscape architects help locate transportation corridors and facilities, fit roadways to the terrain, reduce cuts and fills, and enhance travel experiences.
“Cost-Effective GHG Reductions through Smart Growth and Improved Transportation Choices: An Economic Case for Strategic Investment of Cap-and-Trade Revenues,” Steve Winkelman, Allison Bishins, and Chuck Kooshian, Center for Clear Air Policy Transportation and Climate Change Program, June 2009
“Environmental Assessment of Passenger Transportation Should Include Infrastructure and Supply Chains,” Mikhail V. Chester and Arpad Horvath, University of California, Berkeley, June 2009
“Making Transportation Sustainable: Insights from Germany,” Ralph Buehler, John Pucher, Uwe Kunert, Metropolitan Policy Program, Brookings Institution, April 2009
“Sustainable Transport that Works: Lessons from Germany,” Eco-Logica, April 2009
"Innovative State Transportation Funding and Financing: Policy Options for States," NGA Center for Best Practices, January, 2009
"Fostering Equitable and Sustainable Transit-Oriented Development," Living Cities, 2009
"A Sustainable Future for Transport: Towards an Integrated, Technology-Led and User Friendly System," Commission of the European Communities, 2009
“The Road… Less Traveled: An Analysis of Vehicle Miles Traveled Trends in the U.S.,” Robert Puentes and Adie Tomer, Metropolitan Policy Program, Brookings Institution, December 2008
"Transit and Development: Increasing Transit’s Share of the Commute Trip," Reconnecting America and the Center for Transit-Oriented Development, August, 2008
“Sustainable Transportation Planning: Estimating the Ecological Footprint of Vehicle Travel in Future Years,” Guangqing Chi and Brian Stone, Jr., Journal for Urban Planning and Development, 2005
Siting Sustainable Transportation Infrastructure
Collectively, transportation support facilities greatly affect a community’s character and quality of life, and must be carefully designed and sited. Transportation corridors and facilities, including those above and below ground should be sited to minimize impacts on adjacent land uses. Transit and bus stations, airports, rail depots, and ports should be carefully integrated into the community and serve as inter-modal facilities. Parking facilities should be designed and managed to minimize visual and physical impacts and the consumption of land, while maintaining safety.
Research
Building Community Through Transportation, Project for Public Spaces
Whole Building Design Guide, National Institute of Building Sciences
Projects
Penn Connects: A Vision of the Future, Sasaki Associates
Urban Corridor Planning – City of Houston, the Planning Partnership Limited
Designing Safe, Visually Appealing Transportation Infrastructure
Special care needs to be given to the preservation of historic roads and parkways, transit and rail facilities so these facilities meet current needs while respecting their character-defining elements. Some elongated “parks” may exclude billboards and freight use, limit access points and speeds, and provide overlooks and recreational facilities. Special land use procedures such as scenic easements should be considered for corridors along scenic byways to preserve their visual quality and character. The visual impacts of all transportation corridors and facilities can be improved by framing views and screening eyesores, developing appropriate signage and managing vegetation. In some settings, native plants are used to provide a sense of place and to reduce potential for invasive species establishment along linear landscapes and edges created by transportation corridors.
“Safety Impacts of the Emerging Display Technology for Outdoor Advertising Signs,” Jerry Wachtel, April, 2009
“Sustainable Landscape Construction: A Guide to Green Building Outdoors,” J. William Thompson and Kim Sorvig, Island Press, 2007
Sustainable Transportation and Biodiversity
Transportation facilities should also be sited to protect wildlife corridors and avoid fragmentation of wildlife habitat. Where habitat impacts cannot be avoided, innovative techniques such as wildlife over- and underpasses should be considered.
“Biodiversity Planning and Design,” Elizabeth Leduc, Mary York, and Jack Ahern. Island Press, 2009
“Resilient Cities: Responding to Peak Oil and Climate Change,” Peter Newman, Timothy Beatley and Heather Boyer, Island Press, 2009
Sustainable Transportation and Stormwater: Green Streets
The impacts of paving on stormwater quality and quantity should be minimized by providing facilities such as vegetated swales that filter pollution and help recharge groundwater.
Research / Resources:
Bioswales/Vegetated Swales, Florida Field Guide to Low Impact Development, 2008
Green Alleys, City of Chicago
Green Streets Initiative
Green Streets Program, Bureau of Environmental Services, City of Portland Government
NYC Street Design Manual, Department of Transportation, NYC Government
Rethinking the Street Space: Why Street Design Matters, Planetizen, 2009
"Sustainable Urban Site Design Manual," NYC Department of Design and Construction Office, June 2008
"High Performance Infrastructure Guidelines," Department of Transporation, NYC Government, 2005
Projects
NE Siskiyou Green Street, Portland, Oregon, Kevin Robert Perry
Streets Edge Alternatives (SEA Streets) Project, City of Seattle
Combating the Urban Heat Island Effect from transportation infrastructure
Appropriate vegetation can reduce air, light, and noise pollution, avoid soil erosion, and provide shade to mitigate the effects of the urban heat island.
“Correlating Transportation, Energy Efficiency, and Urban Heat Island Mitigation,” David Leopold, Streetscape and Sustainable Design, City of Chicago
“Cool Pavements, Reducing Urban Heat Islands: Compendium of Strategies,” Environmental Protection Agency
"Europe’s Grass-lined Green Railways," Inhabitat.com, 2009
If you see any useful resources we've missed, please send recommendations to:
info@asla.org
