Techniques for Mitigating Urban Sprawl September 2003 7
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1. Report No. 2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipient’s Catalog No. FHWA/TX-05/0-4420-2 4. Title and Subtitle 5. Report Date Techniques for Mitigating Urban Sprawl September 2003 7. Author(s) 6. Performing Organization Code Dr. Robert Paterson, Dr. Susan Handy, Dr. Kara Kockelman, Dr. Chandra Bhat, Jumin Song, Jayanthi Rajamani, Juchul Jung, Kari Banta, Urvi Desai and John Waleski 8. Performing Organization Report No. 0-4420-2 9. Performing Organization Name and Address 10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS) Center for Transportation Research The University of Texas at Austin 11. Contract or Grant No. 3208 Red River, Suite 200 Austin, TX 78705-2650 0-4420 12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address 13. Type of Report and Period Covered Texas Department of Transportation Research Report Research and Technology Transfer Section/Construction Division 14. Sponsoring Agency Code P.O. Box 5080 Austin, TX 78763-5080 15. Supplementary Notes Project performed in cooperation with the Texas Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration. 16. Abstract Urban sprawl, driven by population and economic growth, is a pressing issue in the U.S., partly because of its contribution to growing levels of vehicle miles traveled (VMT). According to government figures, new development is gobbling up land at an alarming rate of 365 acres per hour (Natural Resources Defense Council 2002). Between 1960 and 1990, the amount of developed land in metro areas more than doubled, while the population grew by less than half (National Resource Defense Council 2001). In response, various efforts to mitigate urban sprawl have been and are being developed and implemented in different contexts and with different intents under the popular umbrella of “smart growth.” Transportation plays an important role in these efforts. Transportation investments and policies can be used to influence development patterns, and policies that promote more compact development can help to slow the growth in VMT. This report identifies transportation-related and growth-management strategies and policy actions used in smart growth efforts and catalogues them with respect to goals, characteristics, and suitability factors in the form of six matrices, designed as a guide for communities in Texas in the selection of sprawl mitigation techniques appropriate to their specific contexts. The matrices were developed based on an extensive review of the literature and a review by an expert panel of leading land use and transportation researchers. The report discusses the problem of urban sprawl and efforts to mitigate it, describes the development of the matrices, presents the matrices and supporting materials, presents two Texas applications of the matrices in case study form, and discusses future research needs. 17. Key Words 18. Distribution Statement sprawl, smart growth, land use, transportation, growth No restrictions. This document is available to the public through management, sprawl mitigation the National Technical Information Service, Springfield, Virginia 22161. www.ntis.gov 19. Security Classif. (of report) 20. Security Classif. (of this page) 21. No. of pages 22. Price Unclassified Unclassified 236 Form DOT F 1700.7 (8-72) Reproduction of completed page authorized Techniques for Mitigating Urban Sprawl Dr. Robert Paterson Dr. Susan Handy Dr. Kara Kockelman Dr. Chandra Bhat Jumin Song Jayanthi Rajamani Juchul Jung Kari Banta Urvi Desai John Waleski Research Report 0-4420-2 Research Project 0-4420 “Techniques for Mitigating Urban Sprawl” Conducted for the TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION by the CENTER FOR TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN September 2003 iv DISCLAIMERS The contents of this report reflect the views of the authors, who are responsible for the facts and the accuracy of the data presented herein. The contents do not necessarily reflect the official views of the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). This report does not constitute a standard, specification, or regulation. There was no invention or discovery conceived or first actually reduced to practice in the course of or under this contract, including any art, method, process, machine, manufacture, design or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, or any variety of plant, which is or may be patentable under the patent laws of the United States of America or any foreign country. NOT INTENDED FOR CONSTRUCTION, BIDDING, OR PERMIT PURPOSES Robert G. Paterson, Research Supervisor ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The researchers acknowledge the invaluable assistance provided by Jenny Peterman, TxDOT project director; Andrew Griffith TxDOT research engineer; Martha Norwood RTI Program Manager, Wes McClure FHWA Project Adviser, and other interested reviewers from TxDOT and Federal Highway Administration. The researchers are also indebted for the kind assistance and support from our expert panel that consisted of Dr. John M. DeGrove, Dr. Chris Nelson, Dr. Genevieve Giuliano, Dr. Robert Cervero, Dr. Kevin Krizek, Dr. Ruth Steiner, Dr. Kelly Clifton, Mr. Todd Litman, Mr. Christopher Porter, and Mr. Douglas Porter. v vi TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................1 1.1 DEFINITION OF SPRAWL...................................................................................2 1.2 CAUSES OF SPRAWL..........................................................................................3 1.2.1 Investment Policies ..................................................................................4 1.2.2 Development Policies and Regulations ...................................................4 1.2.3 Speculation...............................................................................................4 1.2.4 Land-Use Regulation ...............................................................................5 1.2.5 Facility Pricing.........................................................................................5 1.2.6 Development Economics .........................................................................5 1.2.7 Demographic Changes.............................................................................5 1.2.8 Lifestyle Trends .......................................................................................5 1.3 POTENTIAL IMPACT OF SPRAWL ...................................................................6 1.3.1 Negative Impact.......................................................................................6 1.3.2 Positive Impact.........................................................................................8 1.4 INDICATORS OF SPRAWL.................................................................................8 1.5 MEASURING SPRAWL........................................................................................10 1.6 SMART GROWTH AND SPRAWL .....................................................................12 CHAPTER 2. TRANSPORTATION AND URBAN SPRAWL ............................................15 2.1 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................15 2.2 IMPACT OF TRANSPORTATION INVESTMENTS AND POLICIES ON DEVELOPMENT PATTERNS..............................................................................16 2.3 IMPACT OF DEVELOPMENT PATTERNS ON TRAVEL PATTERNS...........20 2.3.1 Relationship between Land-Use Patterns and Travel Characteristics .....21 2.3.2 Relationship between Land-Use Patterns and Travel Mode Choice .......21 CHAPTER 3. STATE DEPARTMENTS OF TRANSPORTATION AND GROWTH MANAGEMENT .......................................................................................................................25 3.1 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................25 3.2 SURVEY OF STATE DOTS..................................................................................26 3.3 CONCLUSIONS.....................................................................................................35 CHAPTER 4. THE SPRAWL MITIGATION MATRIX......................................................37 4.1 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................37 4.1.1 Literature Review.....................................................................................40 4.1.2 Expert Panel Review................................................................................41 4.2 GOALS MATRIX ..................................................................................................43 4.3 CHARACTERISTICS MATRIX ...........................................................................46 4.4 SUITABILITY FACTORS MATRIX....................................................................49 4.5 EFFECTIVENESS MATRICES ............................................................................51 4.6 CONCLUSIONS.....................................................................................................54 vii CHAPTER 5. CASE EXAMPLE APPLICATIONS ..............................................................55 5.1 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................55 5.2 CASE ONE: DALLAS, TEXAS ............................................................................55 5.2.1 What’s in Place? Transportation-Related Strategies and Policy Actions .............................................................................................57