• Florida DOT hits milestone in context-based design

    As part of its Complete Streets Implementation, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) recently adopted eight context classifications to guide road design decisions.
    As part of its Complete Streets Implementation , the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) recently adopted eight context classifications to guide road design decisions. Under this new system, planners and engineers will consider existing and future characteristics such as land uses, building...Read more

  • The break in the relationship between VMT and GDP

    Chris McCahill of the State Smart Transportation Initiative explains how vehicle miles traveled (VMT) has become decoupled with Gross Domestic Product (GDP). While Americans’ driving habits have long been linked to economic activity, this relationship has weakened considerably over the past roughly...Read more
  • Eighty years of false freeway claims

    Eighty years of false freeway claims

    Urban freeways never deliver the congestion relief that transportation planners promise, according to Norm Marshall of Smart Mobility. Marshall created this map that shows examples from around the country where urban freeways have disappointed predictions going back eight decades. Urban freeways,...Read more

  • Conventional suburban vs. sustainable urban

    This diagram [FOOTNOTE:1] explains a key difference between conventional suburban (top) and sustainable urban (bottom) development patterns. The conventional suburban area, governed by conventional zoning codes, separates uses into distinct areas that branch off of the automobile-oriented...Read more