I was alerted a few days ago about a new recently released transit development study.  Funding was derived from a grant to the American Institute of Architects by the Federal Highway Administration.  It is an interdisciplinary research project conducted by the University of Michigan’s Center for Transportation Studies that examines how well-designed transportation projects and Transit Oriented Developments have the ability to transform communities.  It is a wonderful resource in the battle to reshape our inefficient and disconnected built landscape.  

The report also shows that good planning, public transportation, and transit oriented development (TOD) does not mean big city life.  Case studies within the report showcase a variety of sustainable and connected environments, ranging from single family homes to multi family  apartment buildings.   In fact, many of the case studies involve reconnecting what many would consider a small typical American town.

What this study ultimately says is that Americans who live in small towns do not have to be afraid of environmental and transportation development initiatives.  Small town/city life  is an ideal fit with principles that encourage walkable pedestrian environment and connected communities with urban centers.  It was not many decades ago that small town life resembled the transit oriented develpments that we are now attempting to recreate — small town’s throughout America were dependent on connected and sustainable centers.   One could even argue that many of the small towns and cities in America where in and of themselves transit oriented developments – before the wide acceptance of the automobile, railroads and walkable developments where the lifeline of many of these towns.

I am often reminded of what we have lost on my visits to traditional northwestern towns such as Princeton, NJ.  These towns provide walkable centers with properly scaled urban buildings and rail connections beyond.  They also have single family homes nearby and rural life at the outskirts making them diverse centers for a variety of people.

As we attempt to reconnect our cities after decades of dependence on the automobile well designed public transportation projects will be crucial in changing long held beliefs.  This report is yet another round of ammo in the battle to reshape the unsustainable American way of life.

According the the report, “Well-designed transportation projects demonstrate the potential to shape a community in ways that go far beyond the project’s original purposes. Anecdotal evidence and advocacy exist on behalf of the benefits of well-designed transportation projects on communities, yet there is little organized quantifiable or qualitative data, nor is there a comprehensive guide for communities to maximize or integrate the diverse benefits that well-designed transportation projects can bring.”

From the Moving Communities Forward website:

An interdisciplinary research team employed a case study-based approach, analyzing nearly 30 transportation projects across the nation that represent a broad spectrum of regions, demographics, and project types. Using the case studies, the team identified key principles and practices that communities, transportation officials, designers, and policymakers can use—in the context of their unique situations and environments—to realize multiple enhancements to their communities.

According to the report some of the key findings:

1. Employing an integrated design process where planners, designers, transportation officials, and builders develop a unified plan
2. Including all community stakeholders from the outset
3. Using three- and four-dimensional images and graphics to increase citizen involvement, understanding, and buy-in
4. Creating human-scaled structures and spaces that make busy transportation hubs more manageable
5. Utilizing easily legible signs and directions that make complicated multimodal systems easier and safer to navigate
6. Designing projects to be both durable and adaptable to new transportation modes and community needs

Here is a direct link to the full PDF report to congress.  These will be hosted at Urban City Architecture to ensure that they are always available as a resource for everyone.

Related posts:

1. The Broader Connection between Public Transportation, Energy Conservation and Greenhouse Gas Reduction
2. Horrible Transit Oriented Development : Why We Need Miami 21
3. Conserving Energy and Preserving the Environment: The Role of Public Transportation
4. Suburbs: The Hidden Costs
5. Stop Wasting Our Future — Florida at an Important Crossroad