Jim ThorneFHWA - Resource Center

• The Sustainable Communities Partnership and Livability Principles

• Livability and the Planning Process

• Livability Examples and Resources

• Sustainability

• Livability/Sustainability: where and how

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.

Partnership Livability Principles

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.

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

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

Coordinating Policies and Funding Programs

HUD Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities

EPA Office of Sustainable Communities

Regional Partnerships

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.

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,

Sustainawalkabilitism . . .

www.wordle.net/

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.

(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;

More efficient use of resources

Increase accessibility

Improve connections and options

Reduce energy use

Environmental benefits

Health and Social benefitsLivable Communities are where people have access to many different forms of transportation and affordable housing…..” U.S. DOT Secretary, Ray LaHood

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.

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

Safety Accessibility Integrated planning Public Engagement Freight Corridor planning GHG emission reduction Public health ?

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

Goal Driven Community engagement and outreach Place Based Context Sensitive Recognizes existing values and assets Interdisciplinary Comprehensive Explores inter-relationships of key elements Collaborative

Public and decision maker understanding that land use and transportation are intertwined.

Livability Goals and Performance Measures. Safe, connected, multimodal roadway

networks. Plans, programs and projects support

broader community goals. Interdisciplinary approach: partners and

efforts that support range of community goals.

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.

Chattanooga, TNRiverfront 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.

Chattanooga, TN Riverfront Parkway Transportation and Urban

Design Plan

Every transportation project is an opportunity to improve the quality of life in a community.

1) Support the rural landscape

2) Help existing places thrive

3) Create great new places

Rural Communities

icma.org

www.trb.org

• Set Regional Framework• Improve Local Accessibility • Enhance Community Design

“Smart Transportation is a collaborative approach to supporting great communities for future generations of Pennsylvanians.”

PennDOT’s Smart Transportation Guidebook

www.smart-transportation.com

Traditionally – it’s been either urban or ruralLand use context – land area comprising unique combination of land uses, density, building formCommon place types found in every PennDOT district

RURAL

SUBURBAN CORRIDOR

TOWN / VILLAGE CENTER

TOWN / VILLAGE NEIGHBORHOOD

URBAN CORE

SUBURBAN CENTER

SUBURBAN NEIGHBORHOOD

Capital District Transportation

Committee – Albany, NY MPO

www.cdtcmpo.org/linkage.htm

Collaborative Interdisciplinary Involves all stakeholders

Results in facility that complements;Physical setting, and Preserves scenic, aesthetic, and historic

and environmental resources, whileMaintaining safety and mobility

www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/csd.htm

• Bike Lanes

• Recreational multi-use trails

• Pedestrian refuge islands, sidewalks, countdown signals

Pedestrian and Bicycle EnhancementsPedestrian and Bicycle Enhancements

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

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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

Livability Performance Measures

TIGER 3 ◦ NOFA◦ Open until October

FTA ◦ Bus Livability Grants

HUD◦ Capacity Building NOFA◦ Second Round of Sustainable Communities

Regional Planning Grants◦ NOFA

EPA◦ Greening America’s Capitals◦ Smart Growth Technical Assistance

www.sustainablecommunities.gov

Atlanta Regional Commission – Atlanta, GA Capital District Transportation Committee (CDTC)

– Albany, NY Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission

(DVRPC) – Philadelphia, PA Denver Regional Council of Governments

(DRCOG) – Denver, CO Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) –

Oakland, CA North Central Texas Council of Governments

(NCTCOG) – Dallas-Fort Worth, TX Portland Metro (Metro) – Portland, OR

Transportation and Land Use Integration Transportation Planning Process Programming and Project Prioritization Funding Project Implementation Program Evaluation and Performance

Measures Partnerships and Outreach

Use scenario planning to engage the public in conversations about transportation and land use and inform updates to the long-range transportation plan – ARC, CDTC, DRCOG, MTC, NCTCOG

Prepare a regional comprehensive plan in conjunction with a long-range transportation plan – ARC, DRCOG, DVRPC, Metro

Integrate land use criteria into the TIP Process, such as considering minimum zoning requirements in the project evaluation and selection criteria for TIP programming – CDTC, DRCOG, MTC, NCTCOG

Update the regional transportation demand model to better address land use development and associated travel behavior – ARC, DRCOG, MTC, NCTCOG

Pay staff or consultants to track and monitor development or land values in the region to identify opportunities for strategic transportation investments – Metro, NCTCOG

Provide design guidelines and information, training or technical assistance on complete streets – ARC, DVRPC, DRCOG, MTC, NCTCOG

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)

Source: Transportation Planning and Sustainability GuidebookFHWA, 2011

•Livability and sustainability promote environmentally sustainable travel options, consideration of human health issues, social equity, 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.

Examines how sustainability considerations could be better incorporated into transportation planning through case studies identified from a review of sustainability planning practices at State DOTs and from a literature review of U.S. and international practices.

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/hep/climate/sustainability/index.cfm

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

For sustainability to be fully integrated into highway and transit programs, it must be considered throughout the project lifecycle

Must address sustainability from planning through operations

System Planning◦ Integrated Planning◦ Mitigation banking◦ Fiscal planning

Project Development◦ Cost Benefit Analysis◦ Construction Equipment

Emission Reduction◦ Recycling and Reuse of

materials

Operations and Maintenance• Strong asset

management• Roadside vegetation

management

◦ Self-evaluation tool to measure sustainability over the life cycle of a transportation project

◦ Collection of best practices◦ Web-based◦ Based on triple bottom line

Environmental Economic Social

◦ Pilot Test Version

www.sustainablehighways.org

Voluntary Web-based Tool Lists “sustainable criteria” based on best practices

for three project phases: ◦ Systems Planning◦ Project Development◦ Operations and Maintenance

Each criterion assigned a point value based on expected sustainability impact

In coordination with ASCE effort Other sustainable highways tools used as

references(GreenLITES, I-LAST, Greenroads)

www.sustainablehighways.org

Encourage sustainable highway practices◦Internal improvement◦External recognition

Help agencies measure sustainability and quantify tradeoffs

Provide a framework for communicating with stakeholders about sustainability

Establish a method for evaluating sustainable highways

PD-1 Cost Benefit Analysis

PD-2 Highway and Traffic Safety

PD-3 Context Sensitive Project

Development (or equivalent)

PD-4 Lifecycle Cost Analysis

PD-5 Freight Mobility

PD-6 Educational Outreach

PD-7 Tracking Environmental

Commitments

PD-8 Habitat Restoration

PD-9 Stormwater

PD-10 Ecological Connectivity

PD-11 Recycle & Reuse Materials

PD-12 Create Renewable Energy

PD-13 Site Vegetation

PD-14 Pedestrian Access

PD-15 Bicycle Access

PD-16 Transit & HOV Access

PD-17 Historical, Archaeological, and Cultural Preservation

PD-18 Scenic, Natural, or Recreational Qualities

PD-19 Low-Emitting Materials

PD-20 Energy Efficient Lighting

PD-21 ITS for System Operations

PD-22 Long-Life Pavement Design

PD-23 Reduced Energy and Emissions in Pavement Materials

PD-24 Contractor Warranty

PD-25 Earthwork Balance

PD-26 Construction Environmental Training

PD-27 Construction Equipment Emission Reduction

PD-28 Construction Noise Mitigation

PD-29 Construction Quality Plan

PD-30 Construction Waste Management

Testing will be done on the Project Development (PD), System Planning (SP) and Operations & Maintenance (OM) criteria

Objectives for Conducting the Pilot Testing◦ Provide input on how to make tool easier to use◦ Obtain input on further refinement to criteria◦ For calibration of scoring and achievement levels

Schedule for Pilot Testing◦ July thru October 2011

For Sustainable Highways Program

Continue strong coordination within FHWA and with partners and stakeholders

Create program structure, partner on key program/research gaps

For INVEST

• Revise additional criteria– Revise O&M criteria –

July– Revise System Planning

criteria – August• Pilot Testing

– Call for Pilot Projects (PD criteria)– June

– Call for Pilot Programs (SP & OM) – July

• Weighting & Scoring Review - ongoing

• Updates to Website - ongoing

• Version 1.0 Release – December 31, 2011

• How do we incorporate livability and sustainability into our planning?

• What do you need to move forward with livability and sustainability initiatives?

“Trend Is Not Destiny”Lewis Mumford

• Broaden Community Engagement• Livability Goals and Performance Measures• Integrate Land Use and Transportation Planning• Pursue Connected Street Networks• Improve Access Management Programs• Support Projects that Reconnect Communities • Develop Multimodal Projects• Advance Travel Demand Management and

Operational Strategies• Consider Freight Movement and Needs• Use CSS Approach: Planning, Project

Development• Address Transportation Safety • Conduct Multimodal Corridor Planning