Research Project Description
Mineta Transportation Institute
Best Practices for Context Sensitive Solutions in Urban Areas
Project Number: 2610
Research Project:There remain very few examples and analysis and understanding of Context Sensitive Solutions (CSS) in urban areas. This becomes a practical problem when trying to provide for more flexibility in design. This study will provide an in-depth analysis of how CSS is used in practice in urban areas.
Principal Investigator: Allison L. C. de Cerreño, Ph.D.
Co-Director, Rudin Center for Transportation Policy & Management, NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
Team member: Jan Botha, SJSU
Institution:
Mineta Transportation Institute
Telephone Number:
(408) 924-7560
Email Address: mti@mti.sjsu.edu
Project Objective:This study will clarify the use of the CSS process in finding transportation solutions for planners, designers and engineers in city and state agencies working in urban areas.
Project Abstract:
CSS and its predecessor, Context Sensitive Design (CSD), are defined in a number of ways around the country. While some practitioners utilize CSD and CSS interchangeably, the general trend has been to move toward utilization of the phrase CSS to emphasize the processinvolved with finding transportation solutions rather than focusing solely on the design elements themselves.
The roots of CSS can be found in the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 which required agencies utilizing federal monies for projects to undergo an analysis of the projects’ impacts on natural and human resources. NEPA language aimed at protecting historic, scenic, and cultural resources. In later years, additional federal legislation strengthened this commitment to the natural environment. The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) of 1991 provided funding for the effort through the transportation enhancements program. Congress passed the National Highway System Designation Act in 1995 supporting applications for design standard modifications to preserve historic and scenic resources.
a number of states around the country have begun instituting CSS, while others remain unfamiliar with the idea. Further, the interpretation of CSS remains very different so states and cities have had varying levels of success in applying the process and/or incorporating the philosophy into the way they do business.
While the Rudin Center work identified key issues and provided some initial examples, it was clear that more work remains to be done in terms of assessing how CSS is used in practice in urban areas.
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Milestones Dates:
Task 1: Literature Review
An in-depth literature review will be the starting point of the project, looking at the literature related to the points outlined above as well as examples in urban areas and non-urban areas that might prove relevant. To the greatest extent possible, effort will be made to identify cases from different parts of the country.
Task 2: Discussions with Key Individuals
For cases that look promising, either because they were successful or failed in some way, additional information-gathering discussions will be held with individuals at the agencies involved to fill in the gaps and gain a better understanding of the specific dynamics involved in the CSS process.
Task 3: Analysis
At least 4 mini-cases will be developed (they will be chosen after the literature review), with each discussion addressing the issues above in more detail to gain a full understanding of how each urban area handled the different elements of CSS. Comparisons will be made between these cases to look for similarities and differences and how they affected the end results. The goal here is to be able to develop some best practices
Task 4: Draft report
A draft report organized around the issues described will be developed with the mini-cases serving as the specific examples. An introductory section discussing the issues will be included as well as explanation as to why urban areas are the focus of this particular work. After the assessment and comparisons, the concluding section would also include best practices and, perhaps, key features or elements of which practitioners should be aware.
Task 5: Final report
Based on the comments received after the MTI review, the report will be finalized for distribution.
Final completion date:
Total Budget: $65,420
Student Involvement:
Graduate Student Researcher, San Jose State University TBA
Graduate Student Researcher, New York University TBA
Technology Transfer Activities:
Upon publication, pdf and html versions will be available on the Mineta Transportation Institute web site. The project experience and data will be available for community meetings. Authors are encouraged to submit articles based on the research to relevant journals and to present the information to end-users at conferences.
Potential Benefits of the Project:
End users, including planners, designers and engineers in city and state agencies, as well as academics and others interested in CSS will have a better understanding of CSS principles and how it applies to planning practice in urban areas.
TRB Keywords:
Intermodal systems; Intermodal transportation, Transportation policy, Planning
Primary Subject:
Transportation planning, Regional Transportation
Goals:
The goal of this study would be to provide a more in-depth assessment of how CSS is used in practice in urban areas, touching upon the following points:
- how CSS is incorporated into basic planning, programming, and design
- what kind of policies have grown out of this process or help guide it
- how public participation and stakeholder involvement is carried out and measured
- what kinds of obstacles exist to successfully incorporating CSS in practice
- what kinds of decisions are finally made in terms of balancing the various needs related to parking, non-motorized traffic, and throughput.
Enabling research:
Literature review, interviews and comparative analysis
Modal Orientation: Highway
