Impacts of Comprehensive Planning and Smart Growth Initiatives on Transportation

Abstract

With the objective of achieving an array of transportation, environmental, fiscal, and social benefits, state and regional agencies are increasingly undertaking initiatives to promote local comprehensive planning as well as smart growth development patterns. Numerous metropolitan planning organizations and some state transportation agencies are looking to land use strategies to help limit the growth of vehicle travel, improve mobility and accessibility, and reduce infrastructure investment needs. Yet evidence on the transportation benefits of state and regional planning initiatives is limited. Five case studies were conducted of states and regions with a history of comprehensive planning initiatives directed toward smart growth objectives. Modeling studies, empirical research, and monitoring programs were reviewed to determine how these areas measure the performance of their policies and what findings have resulted. Models and empirical evidence suggest that land use strategies, if successfully implemented, can play a role in reducing vehicle travel and associated impacts. Implementation of state and regional policies in most areas, though, has been weak because of a limited ability to affect land use decisions at the local level. Furthermore, many areas’ initiatives are too recent to observe widespread changes to land use patterns or to measure the resulting impact on transportation conditions. Improved information systems are beginning to be deployed in some areas and should provide additional insights into the effects of state and regional planning initiatives.