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Report Identifies Keys to Successful Transportation Projects
AIA and University of Minnesota study examines economic, environmental and public health benefits of well-designed transportation projects
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For Immediate Release |
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Washington, D.C., January 14,
2008 — There are six key design strategies that can be crucial in
determining whether or not a transportation project will benefit
its community, according to a new federal study conducted by the
American Institute of Architects (AIA) and University of
Minnesota’s Center for Transportation Studies (CTS).
The report, Moving Communities Forward, analyzes over
thirty different transportation projects from every corner of the
country, exploring how they impact their communities’ economic
progress, environmental health, public safety, level of citizen
participation and overall aesthetics and livability. The study was
authorized by Congress in the 2005 transportation bill and funded
by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
David T. Downey, Assoc. AIA, managing director of the AIA Center
for Communities by Design said, “The findings show that small
decisions have major effects on how a transportation project
impacts its community. In particular, it was striking to see how
involving the public in a design process that incorporates all
applicable disciplines – architects, engineers, planners,
landscape architects, contractors, and government officials –
can achieve a solution that has multiple benefits for a
community.”
Click here for the full report
Bob Johns, University of Minnesota CTS Director, added, “The
benefits of involving multiple disciplines were evident in this
research as well as in design practice. This truly was an
interdisciplinary academic study, with each researcher's findings
enriched by his or her interactions with the full research
team.”
The report identifies six “keys” to ensuring a successful
project that benefits communities economically, environmentally and
other ways:
• Employing an integrated design process where planners,
designers, transportation officials and builders develop a unified
plan
• Including all community stakeholders from the outset
• Using three and four-dimensional images and graphics to
increase citizen involvement, understanding, and buy-in
• Creating human-scaled structures and spaces that make busy
transportation hubs more manageable
• Utilizing easily legible signs and directions that make
complicated multimodal systems easier and safer to navigate
• Designing projects to be both durable and adaptable to new
transportation modes and community needs
About The American Institute of Architects
For over 150 years, members of The American Institute
of Architects have worked with each other and their communities to
create more valuable, healthy, secure, and sustainable buildings
and cityscapes. AIA members have access to the right people,
knowledge, and tools to create better design, and through such
resources and access, they help clients and communities make their
visions real. www.aia.org
About the University of Minnesota Center for
Transportation Studies
Founded in 1987, CTS is a nationally prominent center
that attracts more than $22 million annually for research,
education, and outreach programs. The Center works with more than
75 faculty from 25 different departments in seven colleges. Funding
sources include numerous federal, state, local, and private-sector
sponsors. Throughout its history, the Center has served as a
resource and facilitator in helping talented University researchers
develop new knowledge about transportation and then helping share
that knowledge with professionals and policymakers. Ultimately,
this knowledge improves transportation decision making—meaning
better and safer transportation systems, smarter investments, and a
higher quality of life for Minnesota and the nation. www.cts.umn.edu
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