How Land Use Policy Affects Transportation Decisions
Transportation is 100% affected by governmental policies. This overview discusses the land use policies used in various departments of a governing agency.
RATIONALE
By 2050, 80% of the world's population will reside in urban centers. Governments must begin now to address the transportation needs of successful cities of the future.
In the last 100 years, America has shifted from one basic style of development — compact town centers and traditional neighborhoods — to another — the suburban model. We are now trying to mitigate the negative environmental consequences of this new development pattern. The basic purpose of cities is to allow people to reach goods, services and employment in a realistic amount of time. Before World War II, cities were generally designed with foot travel as the dominant mode. Hence, cities were built around the average human walk preference of 5 minutes. Shorter foot-friendly streets were laid out in a compact grid. Transit was successful because the density of cities provided many available riders.
After World War II more families began to own two cars, allowing people to go farther in the same time. Governmental policies shifted to engineering places with distances appropriate for car travel. Policies required lower densities and separation of land use types; residents were in one area, shops in another and jobs in a separate part of town altogether. Land uses were chosen first and road followed. Today, as a consequence of these policies, people are stuck in traffic and dealing with poor air quality and other environmental concerns.
Land Use and Transportation are two of the most influential elements of a city that can either help or hurt the environment. Land Use policies control the density and location of different uses. Land Use policies are usually set by the Planning Department, who are often responsive to the loudest constituency. What the public demands is just as important as what land uses and densities are put into law.
Typically, it is only after the places are built out that the Traffic Department is asked by the public to react to the growth and provide transportation solutions. How the engineers determine the transportation problem and potential solutions varies greatly depending on whether they have been trained in post-WWII transportation engineering or have been exposed to more multimodal ideas.
EFFORT REQUIRED
Educating the public about available land use and transportation options requires the ability to communicate to citizens in layman's terms. These three arenas (land use, transportation, and public involvement) are the most difficult to accomplish. Results may be seen as early as within one year, but it typically requires up to 10 to 15 years for the full impact of changed land use policies to be seen.
BENEFIT
Everything meaningful requires lots of work. Sustainable transportation policies can physically alter a community bit by bit. We must start now in order to ensure the next generation lives in an improved manner than we are now.
RISKS
- Elected officials can face political risks
- Engineering staff may have to hire or train existing employees
- Planning staff may need to dedicate staff time to review and revise policies
- Amending zoning codes can take time
- Underlying all of this is the need to start by educating the public so people can request appropriate policies from their elected officials
ACTION AGENT(S)
- Elected officials
- Mayor's Office
- Senior staff must be "sold" on the purpose of the effort
- Communications Staff
- Planning Staff
- Traffic Staff
COST
Costs vary greatly depending on the scope of policies that will be reviewed and changed.
