GTC funds planning studies to improve traffic circulation, parking, safety, and aesthetics.  For over a decade, GTC funds have been used to coordinate transportation and land use planning in such diverse communities as Hilton, Macedon, Perry, Spencerport, Geneseo, and the Brown’s Square neighborhood of the City of Rochester. We also sponsor studies of major urban, suburban, and rural corridors throughout the region. The corridor studies are often multi-jurisdictional, recognizing that the benefits and impacts of transportation facilities and services do not begin or end at municipal boundaries.

This web resource is intended to share insights for connecting transportation and land use planning from these model projects and other examples around the nation. Through many years of research and experience, GTC has gained considerable knowledge about the elements that successfully connect transportation and land use, as well as the dynamics of planning processes that can lead to success. The links in the text will direct you to more information about particular topics. 

Common Elements of Success

Let’s start by considering sidewalks. Sidewalks are probably our most-used public gathering places. They’re great for people of all ages. They can help knit communities together. So a good way to make the transportation experience more enjoyable is by planning for sidewalks, if there are none, and maintaining those which already exist.

GTC Circulation, Accessibility,
and Parking Studies:

• Brown’s Square

• Fairport

• Geneseo

• Hilton

• Macedon

• Perry

• Spencerport

• Arcade: Main Street (NYS Rt. 39)

• Avon: Rts. 5 & 20

• Egypt: NYS Rt. 31

• Geneseo: NYS Rt. 20A

• Greece & Rochester: Dewey Avenue

• Lima to Canandaigua: Rts. 5 & 20

• Macedon: NYS Rt. 31

• Mount Morris: NYS Rt. 308

• Ontario and Seneca Counties:
  NYS Rts. 96 & 318

• Penfield: NYS Rt. 250

• Seneca County:
  Rts. 5 & 20/NYS Rt. 414

• Williamson: NYS Rts. 21 & 104

• Yates County: NYS Rt. 14A

Proposed sidewalk and streetscape enhancements,
Village of Hilton

The more places we can get to by sidewalks, the more we are likely to use them instead of driving. Some of our cities and villages have a pattern of interconnected streets and sidewalks. But many of us live in subdivisions that end in cul-de-sacs. Cul-de-sacs are a fancy name for dead ends.

If we’re planning for future growth, we may want to consider requiring new subdivisions to have streets and sidewalks that connect with neighboring parcels so that a system of connected paths can be created over time. If we live in a community with an established sidewalk network, we may want to fill in any gaps — particularly around schools, parks, and libraries — and make sure we have a program for maintaining our sidewalks.

Creating walkable communities and recognizing the benefits of sidewalks for providing safe routes to school are national as well as local trends.

Walking and biking — besides offering another way to get from here to there — are an enjoyable way to exercise, great for the cardiovascular and respiratory systems.

For many of us, no matter where we live, if we are walking, we will come to a busy road or highway that can be intimidating for pedestrians or bicyclists.

Intersections and crosswalks can be made friendlier with bump outs and center medians, where appropriate, to reduce the number of traffic lanes that have to be crossed, or raised crosswalks — sometimes called speed tables — to make cars slow down.

Traffic signals can be timed to allow more time to cross, and pedestrian warning signals are available that can provide more information than just the usual cross and don’t cross. In-pavement crosswalk lighting also addresses some of the safety concerns of crossing a busy street.

Proper, uncluttered, and unambiguous signage also gives clear signals to motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians that they are sharing the same road, which is important for safety and peace of mind.

Our major arterials are often our major commercial and shopping corridors. We might like them to have more social interaction, but traffic flow can’t be ignored.

Village of Spencerport

GTC Fact Sheets

• Automobile Parking and Pedestrians

• Automobile Parking Site Location

• Bicycle Parking

• Build-Out Analysis

• Concentrating Development

• Construction Performance
  Guarantees

• Corridor Access Management

• Managing Unpaved Roads

• Revitalizing Village and Neighborhood Centers

• Sidewalks and New Development

• Sidewalks and Existing Development

• Stormwater Management

• Universal Design

• Vegetated Buffers

That said, certain undivided four-lane highways can often be successfully converted to three lanes, including a center two-way turning lane — freeing up space for new on-street parking, wider sidewalks, curb extensions, landscaping, improved bus stops, or bicycle lanes.

Subdividing large plazas increases design and
transportation options

In addition to the various road enhancements for safety and access management we just noted, the solution may include site and building design, such as subdividing large shopping centers to create a block pattern of infill development with pedestrian walkways between the buildings; making sure buildings are set close to the sidewalk; and designing front facades with lots of windows for passersby.

The street-level experience can also be enhanced by gateway treatments, bicycle racks and parking, decorative street lights, retaining walls, and other context sensitive design elements that improve transportation, as well as aesthetics.

Street trees are a very important element, both functionally and aesthetically.  Street trees provide color and shade and make a nice buffer between moving

traffic and pedestrians.

Parking is a major concern for businesses and patrons. More and more communities across the country are requiring parking lots to be at the rear or

sides of buildings or on the street, so pedestrians don’t have to walk across

parking lots to get to stores.

Communities are also becoming more conscious of not requiring too much

parking and making sure onsite parking areas are well-landscaped. Areas can

be landscaped with grassy pavers to provide additional parking during peak business periods. 

Proposed context sensitive design elements,
Village of Macedon

Proposed gateway, Town of Williamson

Shared parking agreements between, for example, a business that is open only days and a neighboring restaurant that is open only evenings can also reduce the need for parking spaces and accommodate peak periods — requirements for both establishments.

There’s a movement going on around the country and in this region for mixed-use, infill development. It’s the idea that putting shops and services next to housing is much more convenient for people and reduces infrastructure costs. This is a great concept for certain geographic areas and markets.

However, mixed-use is not feasible for all built environments. The typical

post-World War II suburb in our region, for example, lacks the economic characteristics and density necessary to support a mix of uses. The low density and the nature of most personal trips also make it impractical at the present time to redesign bus routes to directly serve most residential suburbs with public transportation.

Many of our villages and urban neighborhoods already have traditional main

streets with mixed-use development and walkable neighborhoods that serve

patrons and visitors from the entire region, as well as the immediate area. Our cities and villages have a sense of place that would be costly, if not impossible, to duplicate if they were lost. Our historic centers are unique resources that should

be appreciated and preserved.

Our rural areas are also unique and must be cherished. Rural hamlets, villages,

and traditional commercial areas can be preserved through cluster, large lot, historic districts, and other zoning techniques that recognize the unique rural character. Conservation easements, agricultural districts, and other tools can protect farmland.

Traditional mixed-use, Village of Waterloo

Highways can add to the protection of rural communities and landscapes with careful attention to design and safety standards (especially when passing through populated areas), improved access to recreation opportunities and scenic views, interpretive signage, and marketing efforts.  

As noted, GTC has been involved in several rural corridor studies.

Another very important way land use and transportation are integrated in our region is through multi-use trails. Our region has one of the finest trail systems in the entire United States. Trails promote healthy transportation options, increase our sense of connection with nature, whether we live in urban, suburban, or rural communities, and should be a consideration in our planning efforts.

What We Learned

• A sense of place, quality of life, and economic vitality can be improved with thoughtful planning and development.

• Coordinated land use and transportation planning is crucial to ensure that limited public resources are put to the best use
  and to attract private investment.

• Most development will be driven by the private sector.

• GTC must continue to provide guidance, assistance, and financial incentives to coordinate transportation and land use planning.

Dynamics of a Successful Planning Process

Communities set the direction in which they want to go and the tone and content of discussion through the planning process.

Each planning process, like each community, is unique. There is no “one size fits all” way of integrating land use planning and transportation planning. However, in our experience, public processes that result in successful plans share the following essential steps:

Every community should ask the same questions, but not expect the same answers.

• Identify issues to be resolved, from the beginning and throughout the process.

• Inventory existing and future socioeconomic, environmental, and infrastructure conditions.

• Assess needs and opportunities relative to the issues to be resolved and conditions.

• Formulate alternatives to address the needs and maximize the opportunities.

• Choose the preferred alternative(s) that provide the most benefits relative to costs.

In other words, every community should ask the same questions, but not expect the same answers.

What are some of the questions?

Do neighbors have convenient opportunities to meet one another?

Are most shopping areas inviting?

Can some daily needs be met by walking?

Can residents bike safely to parks, schools, or other places?

Where do people like to gather?  Can we get there without driving?

What are the resources that truly define our community, that we must
protect and make more accessible?

Village of Perry public workshop

What economic uses are dependent on vehicles, and how do we incorporate this with other considerations?

As communities work through these types of questions — and there most likely will be many others — they begin to commit themselves to creating thriving communities for current and future residents while enabling economic prosperity.

The recommended process is a framework for analyzing questions in their proper context. It helps communities to avoid overlooking or overemphasizing important issues and to recognize connections and relationships between transportation, land use, and quality of life.

Small Changes that Make a BIG Difference

Long-term planning can take time, but a community may need to make improvements quickly. Click here to learn about small, affordable interventions that can provide new energy to a community. They can work on their own to improve a community’s appearance, vitality, and prospects, or provide assistance during the planning process.

Money Counts

We’ve seen the safety, environmental, health, aesthetic, and other quality-of-life benefits of creating livable communities.

There are also financial benefits.

Transportation investments
influence development patterns, and development patterns determine travel patterns. We have the ability to shape both transportation and land use to our advantage.

It’s cheaper to maintain and improve our existing transportation system than to build new roads and bridges. It’s cheaper to integrate land use and transportation so that, over time, we reduce traffic congestion, infrastructure costs, and air pollution. The most cost-effective land use and transportation planning is based on leveraging and preserving our existing investments.

Federal and state funding for transportation is now more limited than it’s been for a very long time, placing the funding burden squarely on the shoulders of local governments. In other words, it is imperative for us to find ways to reduce expenses (or accept that our roads and bridges have to deteriorate further).

Because the region’s transportation needs far exceed available resources, GTC and the state must prioritize where limited funds are directed and how they are spent. Consequently, communities that incorporate transportation considerations into land use planning will likely identify more cost-effective projects and have an advantage for funding. For example, a municipality may have the legal right to approve a land use that generates a large amount of vehicle trips that exceed the capacity of local roadways, but then the municipality should look to the developer to mitigate the impacts of its project and not expect the region to utilize state or federal funds to pay for the ensuing delay the project will create.

The important thing to remember is that we can — and must — impact the individual and social costs of transportation through improved integration with land use planning at the local and regional levels.

How GTC Can Assist

Beyond providing this and other online resources, GTC also offers technical assistance to communities that are interested in considering how they can better coordinate their land use planning and regional transportation considerations.

GTC provides technical assistance by working with communities to identify the steps necessary to more fully integrate land use and transportation decision making, and then directing them to the resources and providing the data necessary to take these steps – either on their own or with the help of professional planning consultants.

As resources permit, GTC also makes federal transportation funds available to communities to conduct a variety of planning activities, including (but not limited to) preparing coordinated transportation and land use plans for corridors, neighborhoods, and main streets. For more information on plans and studies underway and completed using these federal transportation planning funds, please review the “Unified Planning Work Program” and the “Plans & Studies” (see specifically Tasks 6800 through 7600) on the GTC website.