Livability and Sustainability Arkansas Transportation Planning Conference May 18, 2011

1. Livability and SustainabilityArkansas Transportation Planning ConferenceMay 18, 2011 Jim Thorne FHWA - Resource Center

2. Agenda • The Sustainable Communities Partnership and Livability Principles • Livability and the Planning Process • Livability Examples and Resources • Sustainability

3. Sustainable Communities • Places that balance their economic and natural assets so that the diverse needs of local residents can be met now and in the future. • Typically, these communities have lower costs for consumers and more value for taxpayers because they are more connected and efficient. • Accelerate job growth for this and future generations, with: • expanded housing and transportation choices, • greater energy independence, and • better protection for our clean air and water.

4. Sustainable Communities Partnership • DOT, EPA, HUD • Improve access to affordable housing, provide more transportation options and lower transportation costs while protecting the environment • Encourages livability principles to be incorporated into federal programs and funding. • Achieve our economic, social, and environmental goals most effectively when we work on them together.

5. DOT/HUD/EPA Partnership for Sustainable Communities

6. Six Livability Principles of the Sustainability Partnership

7. Partnership Goals: • Targeting resources through grants and other programs to help states and communities create jobs and stronger economies by developing more sustainably. • Removing regulatory and policy barriers at the federal level to make it easier for state and local governments to access federal services and resources. • Aligning agency priorities and embedding the Livability Principles in each agency’s actions so that transportation, housing, and environmental protection efforts are coordinated.

8. TARGETING RESOURCES TO COMMUNITIES • Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) Grants • Joint DOT TIGER II-HUD Community Challenge Grants • HUD Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grants • Funds for Urban Circulator and Bus & Bus Livability Projects • State Revolving Funds for Water Infrastructure • Smart Growth Implementation Assistance • Greening America’s Capitals • HUD Adoption of Sustainability Criteria in Scoring Grant Applications

9. REMOVING FEDERAL BARRIERS • Executive Order on Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance • Brownfields Policy Change • Brownfields Pilot Communities • Brownfields Area-Wide Planning Pilot Initiative • Policy Statement on Bicycle and Pedestrian Accommodation Regulations and Recommendations • Reducing Contracting Conflicts • Change to Federal Transit Administration’s New Starts Program

10. ALIGNING POLICIES AND BUDGETS • Coordinating Policies and Funding Programs • HUD Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities • EPA Office of Sustainable Communities • Regional Partnerships

11. Next? • Broaden Partnership • Continue examining and, if necessary, modifying federal policies and actions on transportation, housing, and environmental protection to complement each other and to better reflect the Livability Principles.

12. Livability in Transportation Using the quality, location and type of transportation facilities and services to help achieve broader community goals such as access to good jobs, affordable housing, quality schools, and safe streets Livability, sustainability, smart growth, walkable communities, new urbanism, healthy neighborhoods, active living, transit oriented development, complete streets, . . .

13. Livable Communities More efficient use of resources Increase accessibility Improve connections and options Reduce energy use Environmental benefits Health and Social benefits Livable Communities are where people have access to many different forms of transportation and affordable housing…..” U.S. DOT Secretary, Ray LaHood

14. Transportation Planning Factors • Support economic vitality • Increase safety • Increase security • Increase accessibility and mobility • Protect and enhance the environment • Enhance connectivity across and between modes • Promote efficient system management and operation • Preserve the existing transportation system.

15. Transportation Planning Factors (E) protect and enhance the environment, promote energy conservation, improve the quality of life, • and promote consistency between transportation improvements and State and local planned growth and economic development patterns;

16. Livability in the Planning Process • Goals, performance measures, policies related to livability, quality of life, . . . • Help region develop vision related to community growth and development. • Reach beyond usual groups to housing, public health, water resources, . . . • Land use and transportation integration. • Multi-modal planning. • Interdisciplinary efforts. • CSS in regional, corridor, project planning. • Options and approaches vary.

17. Opportunities to Address Livability Planning for: Grid street patterns, short blocks, streetscapes Transit and transit supportive land use Planning for bike and pedestrian travel Land use (as it supports transportation and vice versa) System efficiencies Travel Demand Management Opportunities to Address Climate Change

18. Issues that may come into play when talking about livability in transportation planning: • Connected streets • Complete streets • Pedestrian facilities • Bicycle planning • Scenario planning • Land Use/Transportation integration • Safe Routes to School • Transit supportive land use • Multi-modal planning • Context Sensitive Solutions • Management and Operations

19. More issues that may come into play when talking about livability in transportation planning: • Safety • Accessibility • Integrated planning • Public Engagement • Freight • Corridor planning • GHG emission reduction • Public health • ?

20. Livability aligns with good planning practices • Goal Driven • Community engagement and outreach • Place Based • Context Sensitive • Recognizes existing values and assets • Interdisciplinary • Comprehensive • Explores inter-relationships of key elements • Collaborative

21. One Illustration of Livability - Atlanta, GA—Livable Centers Initiative (LCI) • LCI program initiated in 1999 to better link transportation and land use planning with long-term goals of VMT and congestion reduction and improved air quality. • Awards grants to prepare plans to enhance existing centers and corridors. • More than 100 studies had been completed, representing nearly $9 million in planning assistance funding.

22. Chattanooga, TN Riverfront Parkway Transportation and Urban Design Plan • Converted the Riverfront Parkway from a four-lane, limited-access expressway to an urban surface street. • Three primary objectives guided the design: • Better vehicular and pedestrian connections to downtown, • Improving riverfront area • Capacity that better matched expected traffic volumes. • The project has improved access, commuting patterns, and renewed economic viability for the eastern portion of downtown.

23. Chattanooga, TN Riverfront Parkway Transportation and Urban Design Plan

24. Maine Gateway 1 Corridor Identify issues in corridor and reach agreement on roles and responsibilities of Partners. 21 Communities involved in corridor plan Develop Corridor Plan. Three Scenarios: Full Wind, Riding the Current, Perfect Storm Implement and monitor Plan. Move people and goods safety and smoothly Preserve scenic, rural qualities along the corridor Expand ability to grow jobs in the corridor

25. AASHTO and Livability • Every transportation project is an opportunity to improve the quality of life in a community.

26. Rural Communities 1) Support the rural landscape 2) Help existing places thrive 3) Create great new places icma.org

27. Create Great New Places Update strategic and policy documents to accommodate new growth through compact and contiguous development Visioning Places worth preserving Designated growth areas Infrastructure grid and transportation options Distinctive local character Reform policies to make it easy for developers to build compact, walkable, mixed-use places Policy alignment Walkability Parks and open space Form Based Codes Traditional neighborhood development Context-sensitive design Green street design Low Impact Development Recognize and reward developers that build great places using smart growth and green building approaches Smart growth recognition programs Green building ICMA: Putting Smart Growth to Work

28. NCHRP 582Best Practices to Enhance the Transportation - Land Use Connection in the Rural United States www.trb.org

29. Strategies to Improve Access and Livability Set Regional Framework- for where and how develop • Growth management, preservation • Regional access management promote designated areas Improve Local Accessibility – jobs, shopping, services, healthcare • Development standards and plans –mixed use • Transportation investments – street connectivity, ped and bike, transit service to focal points Enhance Community Design – • CSS complement natural and built environment • Local access management and design – commercial areas NCHRP 582

30. Factors for Success • Collaborative partnerships • Focusing on quality of life and sustainability • Public involvement and education • Strong local leadership NCHRP 582

31. PennDOT’s Smart Transportation Guidebook “Smart Transportation is a collaborative approach to supporting great communities for future generations of Pennsylvanians.” www.smart-transportation.com

32. Land Use Contexts Traditionally – it’s been either urban or rural Land use context – land area comprising unique combination of land uses, density, building form Common place types found in every PennDOT district RURAL SUBURBAN CORRIDOR SUBURBAN CENTER SUBURBAN NEIGHBORHOOD TOWN / VILLAGE CENTER TOWN / VILLAGE NEIGHBORHOOD URBAN CORE

33. The “Linkage” Program Capital District Transportation Committee – Albany, NY MPO www.cdtcmpo.org/linkage.htm

34. CDTC Linkages

35. Context Sensitive Solutions • Collaborative • Interdisciplinary • Involves all stakeholders Results in facility that complements; Physical setting, and Preserves scenic, aesthetic, and historic and environmental resources, while Maintaining safety and mobility www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/csd.htm

36. Elements of Effective CSS • Purpose and Need • Stakeholder involvement • Interdisciplinary Team • Community values and qualities • Objective Evaluation of full range of alternatives http://www.contextsensitivesolutions.org/

37. Pedestrian and Bicycle Enhancements • Bike Lanes • Recreational multi-use trails • Pedestrian refuge islands, sidewalks, countdown signals

38. Livability Web Site www.fhwa.dot.gov/livability • planning.dot.gov

39. Executive SummaryIntroductionProject HighlightsVisioningPlanning and ProcessPolicyPartnershipDesignImplementation and FundingConclusion

40. Livability Guidebook • Illustrates how livability principles have been incorporated into transportation • Explores how transportation planning and programs can improve community quality of life, enhance the environment and improve transportation and housing choice • Encourages transportation practitioners to think more broadly about project goals • Enlist more partners and develop more integrated solutions to support community livability

41. Livability Guidebook Series of urban and rural case studies and strategies that facilitate: • Revitalizing rural small towns • Better connecting downtowns with neighborhoods • Completing street networks • Supporting compact, mixed use development • Maximize efficiency of existing transportation infrastructure • Mitigate impacts of climate change • Preserve natural and cultural resources

42. Implementation: State and Regional Strategies Scenario Planning How will the residents live? • In what types of communities do we want to live and work 50 years from now? Where will the jobs be and how do we get there? Where will residents live? • What areas in the region are suitable for urban and village-scaled development, and what areas are off-limits? How will the community get there? • What steps are needed to move the region from where it is now to the desired types of communities and growth patterns?

43. FHWA Scenario Planning www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/scenplan/

44. Implementation: State and Regional Strategies • Linking cities and suburban corridors, growing rural counties, and small towns with a complete street network and targeted transit improvements • Re-engineering existing roadways to improve vehicle capacity; pedestrian, bike, and transit service • Identifying operational and access management improvements

45. FHWA Land Use Tool Kit www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/landuse/

46. Current FHWA’s Efforts to Advance Livability • Livability Guidebook • Livability Implementation Research Paper • 5 Regional workshops with key stakeholders to identify opportunities and obstacles. • Locations—Sacramento, CA; Denver, CO; Kansas City, MO; Atlanta, GA; Boston, MA • National Association of Development Organizations Peer Exchanges that focused on Rural Livability. • GA, NC and CA Divisions participated • Livability Performance Measures

47. Sustainability Sustainability - A set of environmental, economic and social conditions in which all of society has the capacity and opportunity to maintain and improve its quality of life indefinitely without degrading the quantity, quality or the availability of natural, economic and social resources (from American Society of Civil Engineers) Sustainable development - Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (from World Commission on Environment and Development) Sustainable transportation - Transportation that promotes sustainable development. Source: Transportation Planning and Sustainability Guidebook FHWA, 2011

48. Sustainability: The Triple Bottom Line

49. Livability and Sustainability • Livability and sustainability promote environmentally sustainable travel options, consideration of human health issues, and economic development. • Sustainability includes long term, multi-generational focus. • Livability initiatives as a subset of sustainability; focused more on near term planning, funding and implementation at the community level. • Sustainability addresses larger environmental goals such as improving air and water quality, reducing climate impacts, increasing energy efficiency, and decreasing dependence on foreign oil. • Livability may be less specific about larger environmental goals. • Transportation solutions that support both are likely similar.

50. About Sustainability - • FHWA encourages sustainable highway practices throughout the project lifecycle: • Planning • Project Development • Operations and Management • FHWA is developing a Sustainable Highways Tool in order to: • Help agencies measure sustainability and quantify tradeoffs • Provide a framework for communicating with stakeholders about sustainability • Establish a method for evaluating sustainable highways