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While transportation is
essential to make urban areas function, it has also contributed to an array of
problems. Particularly in car-dependent cities, traffic jams have translated
into loss of productivity as well as into the deterioration of air quality.
Transportation planning which was initially aimed to address the increasing
mobility of goods and people through investments in transportation
infrastructure, i.e., expansion of the network of roads and highways, now needs
to identify new solutions and adapt to the changed conditions. With growing
awareness of environmental concerns (i.e., congestion and urban air pollution),
planners and policymakers are seeking innovative solutions to reverse this
trend. A key concern is to develop policies and programs aimed to reduce
vehicle miles travelled and to develop alternative technologies such as green
vehicles, light rail transit, and cleaner fuels. Transportation planners are
also beginning to understand the impact of land use decisions and programs on
transportation and likewise on air quality. A growing number of communities are
attempting to fundamentally change the planning process so that land use and
transportation are more closely linked, bringing the concepts of mobility and
liveable communities into a single focus. From efforts to promote smart growth
initiatives, redevelop old shopping malls into mixed-use walkable
town centres, encourage in-fill residential development, and create pedestrian-
and transit-friendly streets, communities of all sizes are beginning to
consider transportation and land use as part of an interrelated system in which
mobility and liveability are in proper balance. Thinking more strategically
about land use-transportation relationships can lead to reduced vehicle miles
of travel; improvements in air quality; increased levels of walking, bicycling
and transit use; economic and community revitalisation; and the preservation of
neighbourhood character and a more visually appealing landscape.
Transportation’s role in creating liveable communities requires balancing
mobility, the movement between places, and accessibility, the ease with which
desired activities can be reached from any particular location. The density,
diversity, and design of an urban area influence the travel mode choices of
people and consequently this affects the air quality. Densely populated urban
centres provide greater access to activities without increasing the movement of
goods and services. Accessibility is an index of density. It is a factor that
influences travel choice. Likewise an increasing tendency is for mixed-use
neighbourhoods to encourage more live/work options and bring jobs and services
closer to people. These pedestrian-friendly neighbourhoods, with retail and
recreational activities, residential and employment growth occurring within
centres and corridors, are accessible by walking or biking and other
alternative modes, consequently decreasing automobile use. The third dimension,
“design”, allows planners to design neighbourhoods that promote alternative
means of conveyance, like walking and cycling by designing grid street
patterns, planting street trees, constructing rear alley parking, and other
features. Dispersed urban development differs in its low-density residential
populations. New transportation road and highway networks allow for
decentralised neighbourhoods and the controversial automobile-dependent,
suburban sprawl. Developers are starting to appreciate the relationship between
land use and travel patterns and conversely that transportation investments
influence land use and development patterns. Planners see the need for less
emphasis on new roads and more on transportation and compact development
options: public transit, including buses and light rail; revitalised
neighbourhoods with existing access to transit; and new development designed
for pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit users.
Integrating land use,
mobility and air quality are widely discussed in other Traffic issues; in particular:
Moreover the following topics of Land Use and Planning
issues and their examples concern integrating land use themes:
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