Land use and transportation are inherently intertwined. For example, even a strong network of bike lanes or sidewalks will not be used if people have to travel long distances to get from one destination to another. Although land use and transportation should be considered an inseparable pair, we often find that many people have difficulty connecting them. 
SGA, with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hosted a series of six virtual sessions called the Center of Excellence. These sessions, held this year from March to June, covered a range of topics about the intersections of land use and transportation. Participants were primarily mayors, city council members, and staff from cities and towns across the country. Over the course of these sessions, participants heard expert perspectives on multiple topics that could apply in their respective communities. They also asked questions and shared their own experiences which generated fruitful discussions for the SGA team and the other participants. More details about the takeaways from each session are available below.
How land use policies can curtail transportation improvements (and vice versa)
Our first session was led by Mitchell Silver FAICP, Hon. ASLA, and Toccarra Nicole Thomas, AICP, who explained how state, regional, and local transportation and land use policy tools and roles interact. Cities and towns can have more coordinated and successful land use and transportation policies when they treat land use and transportation as inseparable. Possible actions include fostering collaboration between different departments to discuss common goals, merging departments, or implementing projects jointly to further facilitate coordination and communication. For example, in New York City, “Green Infrastructure” is a citywide system of engineered landscapes that are vibrant and resilient. The project is accomplished through an inter-agency partnership that includes the Departments of Environmental Protection, Transportation, Parks & Recreation, Design & Construction, and more.
Resources:
- Urban3 Cost of Service Analysis and case studies. These studies examine multiple aspects of land use (e.g., costs, revenue and their relation to infrastructure) to show how efficiently municipalities are using their land.
- Strong Towns: Value Per Acre Analysis: A How-To for Beginners, a step-by-step guide for calculating the productivity of different types of land use.
- Mitchell Silver: Six Best Practices for Creating a Comprehensive Plan, a presentation by Mitchell Silver that covers basic concepts and relevant topics such as return on investment.
Engaging the community
In our second session, Charnelle Hicks, President of CHPlanning, Ltd. and Nspiregreen, explained that projects are stronger when community engagement is central to all development, planning, implementation, and evaluation processes. This session explored methods to include community voice and lived experience in transportation and land-use policies and plans. Possible methods for community engagement include meeting with the community where and when it is convenient for community members before, during, and after project completion to understand their needs and concerns. Planners and officials can also work with trusted community members, such as business owners, neighborhood association directors, or religious leaders to raise awareness of upcoming and ongoing projects. Employing members from the communities being served, either permanently or for the duration of projects, is another possible way to engage the community.
Resources:
- USDOT: Promising Practices for Meaningful Public Involvement in Transportation Decision-Making
- Minnesota Department of Transportation: Public Engagement, a website with numerous tools and resources from MDOT about how to engage the public in transportation decision making.
- SGA: Community Engagement Fact Sheet, a supplementary resource from SGA’s annual Equity Summit.
“You need to engage both your friends and enemies. If you have a meeting and everyone is completely aligned with your thinking, that’s not necessarily something to celebrate. It means you might have to work harder in your outreach.” —Charnelle Hicks, President of CHPlanning, Ltd. and Nspiregreen
Enhancing community resilience
Our transportation system is outdated and at odds with the needs and priorities of communities such as addressing intersecting challenges such as housing costs, transportation access, and extreme weather events. Community-focused planning for multimodal transportation options can better support the intersecting challenges many communities face. In our third session, architect and city planner Kim Mitchell, who works with Allendale Strong–a community organization in Shreveport, Louisiana, explained how transportation, land-use or other policies and plans influence community resiliency, including residential and commercial displacement. Possible actions to enhance community resilience include studies to understand how people get around and the destinations that matter to them, and creating spaces to allow communities to play significant roles in urban planning and development. Options can also be explored to reduce or reverse the negative impacts of divisive infrastructure projects which support only one mode of transportation but exacerbate existing challenges such as congestion.
Resources:
- SGA: Divided by Design, a report showing how low-income communities and communities of color have been disproportionately harmed by transportation development.
- SGA: Community Connectors Program, a program that supports leaders in small and mid-sized communities repair damage from divisive infrastructure.
- Community Renewal International, a website with numerous stories, strategies, and resources on community resilience.
Fiscally sustainable transportation and land use in rural and frontier communities
The current model of urban growth is not only dangerous, it is fiscally inefficient. Dense Smart Growth is simply a more economic model. Members of the SGA Land Use and Development team explained how rural and frontier communities can develop and implement “fiscally sustainable” transportation and land-use policies and plans. Possible strategies to promote efficient land use and transportation methods include examining your municipality’s growth models, adopting density-focused approaches, working with local businesses to evaluate the effects of projects (and use those results to inform future efforts), and using SGA’s Benefits of Complete Streets Tool to measure and project the impacts of Complete Streets interventions.
Resources:
- SGA: Fiscal Impact Analysis Policies in Rural Communities Toolkit, a resource that guides local communities to create and implement Fiscal Impact Analysis Policies and provides case studies and model policies.
- SGA: Foot Traffic Ahead, a report that shows the economic benefits of walkable urbanism and provides recommendations on how to increase the supply and access to equitable, walkable urban communities.
- SGA: Safer Streets, Stronger Economies, a study that shows the positive impacts of Complete Streets compared to conventional transportation projects.
“Density is a good thing. It may feel strange for smaller places, but it’s a positive, not just for the city, but for individual residents.” —Megan Wright, Smart Growth America Senior Associate of Economic Development
Fostering collaboration across departments
Collaboration between departments is crucial to address the interconnected relationships between land use, economic development, and transportation. In our fifth session, led by Toccarra Nicole Thomas, AICP we examined how to foster collaboration between land use, housing, transportation, and economic development champions. A basic first step is to make sure different departments are meeting and communicating with one another. Recognizing shared interests and coordinating actions will yield numerous benefits.
Resources:
- SGA: Zoned In, a report that measures the impact of form-based codes to encourage smart growth.
- National Institute for Transportation and Communities: The Transportation, Land Use and Housing Connection, a summary of existing research on the relationships between transportation, land use, and housing.
- SGA: Five key smart growth points from a new report on transit station area development, a short article that summarizes key findings of a new report about transit-oriented development.
Activating public spaces for walking, biking, and more
In our sixth session, Nate Storring explained that placemaking is a vital strategy to help make communities more enjoyable, vibrant, and healthy. However, design is just one ingredient of successful public spaces that we often rely on too heavily. Practitioners should observe and engage with the community to understand what uses and activities will be most valuable in their area. Quick-build projects can be fast, effective, and economic ways to pilot test interventions to demonstrate impacts.
Resources:
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- SGA: Quick-Build Demonstration Projects, an online hub of resources on quick-build projects, including case studies from across the country.
- Project for Public Spaces: Placemaking, a website with articles and resources about placemaking.
- Project for Public Spaces: Placemaking: What If We Built Our Cities Around Places? This guide outlines the principles and processes of placemaking.
“Every place I’ve ever been, people say, ‘Well, the weather here isn’t conducive to public spaces.’ Doesn’t matter if it’s a hot or a cold place, I’ve heard a million different excuses. But the fact is, if you can make the space comfortable, and you usually can, people will use the space.” —Nate Storring, Co-Executive Director of Project for Public Spaces
The Center of Excellence allowed us to connect local decision makers with experts on multiple aspects of land use and transportation. But the information exchange went both ways. The virtual sessions also allowed us to hear about the issues, challenges, and successes they have had in their work. Based on these findings, SGA and the CDC can work to find solutions and build programming to help cities and towns understand and improve their work on land use and transportation.
This project was made possible by cooperative agreement OT18-1802 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the CDC. We thank the speakers who shared their time and knowledge and the participants who offered their insights into different issues facing their communities.