Options for Improving the Coordination of Transportation and Land Use Planning in Virginia;Final rept. Jun-Dec 03

摘要

Virginia's 2003 General Assembly directed the Secretary of Transportation to (1) assess best practices used by other states to coordinate transportation and land use planning; (2) review current state efforts to provide technical assistance to local governments in the development of a transportation component of the local comprehensive plan; and (3) report the results of these efforts to the 2004 session of the legislature. The Virginia Transportation Research Council was commissioned to perform the necessary research. This report responds to that request. The report notes that there is no single best practice that coordinates transportation and land use planning. Instead, a best practice occurs when the state legislature clearly articulates a policy goal that transportation and land use planning are expected to achieve. Seven possible policy goals are given in the report, and because one or more of these policy goals may be contradictory, statement of a clear, specific policy is critical to achieving better coordination. Examples of policy goals include, but are not limited to, developing a transportation system that supports any existing or future land use desired by localities, encouraging compact development, improving air or water quality, providing greater transportation choice for consumers, and explicitly aligning transportation goals with land use goals.