Land Use Planning and Transportation How does land use relate to transportation planning? Land use typically refers to the changes we make to the natural environment to create homes, subdivisions, offices, urban areas, manufacturing centers, etc. How we use our land, whether for residential, commercial or industrial development, affects our transportation needs, such as roads, modes of travel (i.e., cars, buses, bicycles or walking) and services. Land use has a direct impact on the number of trips and the type of mode used for each trip. For example, when a neighborhood includes a shopping area within easy walking distance of residences, people can replace some or all of their car trips with walking. Commercial development located next to highways or arterial streets strongly encourages car trips, often restricts opportunities for walking, biking or taking public transportation, and can lead to longer trips to shopping areas. The Land Use/ Transportation Cycle Roads are often built or improved to allow greater access to new development. The road improvements make other land along the road more accessible and attractive for further development. With more housing and services along the road, traffic volumes increase, resulting in more congestion and decreased road capacity. Eventually the reduced efficiency of the road necessitates more roadway improvements which can lead to additional development along the road and restart the land use-transportation cycle. When the land use- transportation cycle occurs over and over in a high- growth region, the pressure on commuters, road capacity and jurisdiction finances can be intense. Pima Association of Governments (PAG) is developing a new long-range transportation plan for eastern Pima County and the Tucson metropolitan area. PAG’s 2040 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) will be a 30-year plan that provides a framework for transportation investments in the PAG region by identifying projects that could potentially be developed with federal, state and local funding through 2040. New development built that changes the use of the land Roads built or improved to allow access to development Land along road becomes more accessible Development occurs along road Traffic volumes increase Congestion increases Road improvements needed The Land use Transportation Cycle Based on the “Smart Transportation Guidebook: Planning and Designing Highways and Streets that Support Sustainable and Livable Communities,” New Jersey DOT and Pennsylvania DOT, March 2008. Potential effects of uncontrolled growth • Reduced open space. • More expensive housing and fewer types of housing choices. • Imbalance between housing and jobs. • Environmental degradation.
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Land Use Planning and Transportation
How does land use relate to transportation planning?Land use typically refers to the changes we make to the natural environment to create homes, subdivisions, offices, urban areas, manufacturing centers, etc.
How we use our land, whether for residential, commercial or industrial development, affects our transportation needs, such as roads, modes of travel (i.e., cars, buses, bicycles or walking) and services. Land use has a direct impact on the number of trips and the type of mode used for each trip.
For example, when a neighborhood includes a shopping area within easy walking distance of residences, people can replace some or all of their car trips with walking. Commercial development located next to highways or arterial streets strongly encourages car trips, often restricts opportunities for walking, biking or taking public transportation, and can lead to longer trips to shopping areas.
The Land Use/ Transportation CycleRoads are often built or improved to allow greater access to new development. The road improvements make other land along the road more accessible and attractive for further development. With more housing and services along the road, traffic volumes increase, resulting in more congestion and decreased road capacity. Eventually the reduced efficiency of the road necessitates more roadway improvements which can lead to additional development along the road and restart the land use-transportation cycle.
When the land use-transportation cycle occurs over and over in a high-growth region, the pressure on commuters, road capacity and jurisdiction finances can be intense.
Pima Association of Governments (PAG) is developing a new long-range transportation plan for eastern Pima County and the Tucson metropolitan area. PAG’s 2040 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) will be a 30-year plan that provides a framework for transportation investments in the PAG region by identifying projects that could potentially be developed with federal, state and local funding through 2040.
New development
built that changes
the use of the land
Roads built or improved
to allow access to development
Land along road
becomes m
ore
accessible
Develo
pment
occu
rs alo
ng road
Tra�c volumes
increase
Congestion
increases
Road im
provements
needed
The Land use
Transportation Cycle
Based on the “Smart Transportation Guidebook: Planning and Designing Highways and Streets that Support Sustainable and Livable Communities,” New Jersey DOT and Pennsylvania DOT, March 2008.
Potential effects of uncontrolled growth• Reducedopenspace.• Moreexpensivehousingandfewertypesofhousingchoices.• Imbalancebetweenhousingandjobs.• Environmentaldegradation.
For more information on land use planning contact: Jennifer O’Connor SeniorTransportationPlanner(520) 792-1093 [email protected]
How can you stay informed or get involved?To stay informed and get involved in PAG’s 2040 RTP and/or other PAG planning activities:
• VisitthePAGWebsiteatwww.pagnet.org
• AddyournametoPAG’s2040RTPmailinglistbycallingPAGat(520)792-1093
• Scheduleaspeakerforyournext meeting
How does land use planning impact the 2040 RTP?The Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) is but one of many planning efforts under way in our communities. Local governments are developing or have recently completed significant land use planning efforts for their individual jurisdictions. The RTP will reflect these local efforts to help define where we work, live, play – and how we move from one place to another.
To address growth and traffic congestion on a regional level, PAG staff collect and analyze data on population and employment growth through the year 2040 (See the RTP Trends Fact Sheet.) Then, as part of the RTP process, PAG shares the growth projections with the public and local jurisdictions and engages them in conversations on regional land use planning and Smart Growth.
Smart GrowthArizona’s Smart Growth Web site describes smart growth as an urban planning and transportation theory that focuses on guiding growth in ways that result in vibrant communities, strong economies and a healthy environment. Since 1998, with the Growing Smarter Act, the State of Arizona has required all cities, towns, and counties to integrate smart-growth principles into their planning efforts.
The following are Smart Growth principles that can help guide the development of the 2040 RTP:
• Createarangeofhousingopportunitiesandchoices• Encouragecommunityandstakeholdercollaboration• Fosterdistinctive,attractiveplaceswithastrongsenseofplace• Makedevelopmentdecisionspredictable,fair,andcosteffective• Mixlanduses• Createwalkable/bike-friendlyneighborhoods• Preserveopenspace,naturalbeauty,andcriticalenvironmentalareas• Provideavarietyoftransportationchoices• Strengthenanddirectdevelopmenttowardexistingcommunities• Takeadvantageofcompactbuildingdesign
Effective land use
planning can can
makeourroadssafer
and more efficient,
andcanreducethe
need for new roads.
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