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S U M M A R Y Significant research and implementation in recent years has helped to identify best practices for integrating land use and transportation in urban areas, but little has addressed how this integration could apply to rural communities. To fill this gap, the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies has funded âBest Practices to Enhance the Transportation-Land Use Connection in Rural Americaâ (NCHRP Project 08-52), a study highlighting transportation investments and programs that support successful community development and land use strategies that maximize transportation capacity and community livability. In addition, the project examines how the goals of rural communities and transportation agencies may conflict or support one another. Three core rural community types with distinct transportation and land use issues are identified in this report as particular focal points for the research: Exurban communities, which exist on the fringe of most urban areas across the United States. Many of these communities have shifted from a traditional reliance on a local economic base to a level of dependence on jobs outside of the community and are growing at an above-average rate of 5 percent per year. Destination communities, situated in locations featuring natural amenities such as mountains, lakes, or beaches attract seasonal residents, retirees, and tourists. Located primarily in the West, Upper Great Lakes, and New England, the economic base in these communities has shifted from traditional rural industries (e.g., agriculture, manufacturing, or mining) to a service-based economy built around providing access to natural amenities and support of a recreational or leisure culture. These communities are growing at an above average rate of 6 percent per year. Production communities, which are typically found in remote areas such as the Great Plains, Corn Belt, Mississippi Delta, and Appalachia. These communities depend on a single industry that has experienced decline, such as agriculture, manufacturing, or mining. These communities have not diversified their job base and are isolated to the extent that they cannot depend on surrounding job centers, leading to a below-average growth rate of 2 percent per year and a loss of jobs. Rural communities face a number of challenges. Surveys for this project indicated that the number one challenge for rural communities is to provide access within the community to destinations such as jobs, shops, services, education, and healthcare. The particular type of accessibility need for each community varies based on the communityâs particular setting and economic base. For example, exurban communities are primarily concerned with providing access to jobs in adjacent urban centers; destination communities focus on bringing visitors into the community and providing access to tourist destinations; and production communi- ties either attempt to improve accessibility between local products and their markets or to diversify the local economy. Other frequently cited challenges include maintaining or 1 Best Practices to Enhance the Transportation-Land Use Connection in the Rural United States
2improving water and air quality, improving driver safety, protecting open space and envi- ronmentally sensitive lands, and providing access between the community and destinations around the larger region. Each type of rural community can benefit from addressing these challenges through integrated approaches that simultaneously improve their accessibility and their livability. Best practices and strategies for achieving these results within various types of communities fall into three major activities: 1. Set the regional framework for where and how development should occur, through practices such as ⢠Growth management and preservation strategies to guide development into suitable locations and ⢠Regional access management strategies promoting access to designated development areas as well as discouraging unwanted rural development. 2. Improve local accessibility to daily needs such as jobs, shopping, services, and health care, through practices such as ⢠Development standards and plans to promote mixed-use, walkable community centers; and ⢠Transportation investments focused on improving street connectivity, pedestrian and bicycle facilities, and transit service to community focal points. 3. Enhance community design, through practices such as ⢠Context-sensitive roadway design techniques that complement natural and built environ- ments; and ⢠Local access management and community design strategies, particularly along key com- mercial corridors. Major venues for integrated planning approaches include ⢠Regional plans; ⢠Corridor plans; ⢠DOT rural consultation programs; and ⢠Local comprehensive and master plans (counties, cities, and towns). Key factors for success include ⢠Collaborative partnerships; ⢠Focusing on quality of life and sustainability; ⢠Public involvement and education; and ⢠Strong local leadership.
