Sustainability and Corridor Planning

With their inherent complexities, corridor projects pose many challenges for planners and designers. At the same, successful corridor development offers many rewards to those community members who benefit from improved mobility, economic growth, and sustainable development, as well as to those planners and officials who are responsible for charting the corridor's course and whose work results in healthier, more livable communities.

Project description

This research builds upon a series of studies on urban transportation corridor redevelopment by the State and Local Policy Program at the University of Minnesota's Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs. The first study, in 1997, recommended that transportation and community economic development be integrated in corridor planning. Subsequent studies have added examination of innovative methods for public involvement, and culminated in the development of an integrated framework for analyzing transportation corridor development, which recognizes corridor developments affect five areas:

Citizen preferences,
Governance,
Financing,
Economic effects, and
Design.

The most recent study built upon this framework by examining case studies of urban transportation corridors that are examples of best practices in one or more of these areas. This resulted in a "decision model" that could be used by corridor planners as a guide in their efforts to identify and develop new corridors. Lessons learned have been tailored for use by corridor planning professionals.

Major accomplishments

Paths Through the Forest: Factors That Influence Transportation Corridor Success (2004)
Creating and Applying a New Model for Infrastructure Investment (2001), a study conducted for Hennepin County Works by the State and Local Policy Program of the Humphrey School, University of Minnesota, with funding from the Federal Transit Administration.
Published report on "Best Practices Framework for Successful Urban Transportation Corridor Projects"
Bus-Only Shoulders in the Twin Cities (2007)
Creation of Practitioner's Guide for "Keys to Corridor Planning"
Created an inventory of current data and research on the Hiawatha Light Rail line
Development of "Sustainable Indicators" - several were adopted as Mn/DOT performance measures
Convened several conferences and roundtables on topic of Best Practices in Urban Corridor Development
Development of Transportation Corridor Analytical Framework, led by Ken Kriz, Humphrey School faculty
"Getting There: A Story of Bus Stops, Parking Lots and Big Ideas," Student production of Minneapolis South High School students, supported by SLPP and coordinated by Humphrey Forum (available in VHS tape format).

History

The efforts and interests of Congressman Martin Olav Sabo supported this research. It began with "IVHS and the Environment: New Models for Federal, State and Local Cooperation in the Application of Advanced Transportation Systems for Environmental Improvements in Urban Areas," 1992-1995.

Several other research projects focusing on creating transportation technology policies that can enhance "community sustainability" have followed this original work.

Contact: Frank Douma, 612-626-9946.