Chapter 4 Linking Land Use with Transportation Chapter 4 59
Chapter 4 Linking Land Use with Transportation Community Design and Transportation Program Introduction Since the 1950s, the predominant development style in the United States has consisted of facilitating automobile movement, which has resulted in suburban sprawl. VTA s Community Design and Transportation (CDT) Program offers a new paradigm for development one that promotes vibrant communities where people can live, work and play without necessarily driving. The new model better serves all segments of society by providing convenient multimodal access to housing, jobs, goods, and services. 60 Background In December 2000, the VTA Board of Directors adopted Valley Transportation Plan 2020 (VTP 2020), which called for VTA s member agencies (the 15 cities within the county and the county of Santa Clara) to work with VTA to develop strategies for linking transportation and land-use planning. Shortly thereafter, VTA established the CDT Program in partnership with the cities, the county, developers, other stakeholder groups, and the community at large. The CDT Program encourages local land-use review and approval processes to move toward the development of communities that are walkable, transit-supportive, economically and socially stable, and sustainable. In November 2002, the VTA Board of Directors adopted the CDT Program as its primary effort for integrating transportation and land use. By December 2003, all 15 cities within the county and the county Board of Supervisors had formally endorsed the CDT Program, the first of its kind in the San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland Bay Area Region. Mission and Vision The CDT Program: Establishes a long-range vision for growth in Santa Clara County that enhances the quality of life for residents and workers. Incorporates best practices in planning, design and development activities. Identifies the steps that VTA and its member agencies can take to implement these best practices, including changes to policies, technical standards and planning practices. Builds political momentum for innovative high-quality development through education, outreach and advocacy. Photo simulation showing the evolution of a typical shopping center into a transit-supportive, mixed-use district. VTA s CDT Program seeks to integrate transportation activities with local development decisions.
Provides planning grants to member agencies for projects that implement the best practices through changes in local plans and regulations. Provides capital grants to member agencies to assist with the development of more livable, pedestrian-oriented communities. Links aspects of VTA s capital grants program to implementing the ideals of the CDT Program. Linking Land Use with Transportation Implements best practices in VTA planning, design and construction projects. Brings together under one program VTA s land-use activities, such as transit-oriented development (TOD), transit facilities design, the Proactive Congestion Management Program, and the Development Review Program. Chapter 4 One of the most important products of the CDT Program is the CDT Manual of Best Practices for Integrating Transportation and Land Use (Manual). The Manual, developed in collaboration with VTA s member agencies, developers, designers, and the community, was created to help guide local development decisions. It is a toolkit to promote the implementation of the CDT Program s concepts and principles. The Manual summarizes proven and innovative practices in development design and transportation planning that support and enhance the major infrastructure investments made by VTA and local jurisdictions in the community. It also serves as a catalyst for stimulating development patterns that achieve VTA s long-range goal of creating more vibrant, livable and lasting communities. Key Concepts for Integrating Transportation and Land Use The CDT Program consists of four key concepts: Interconnection brings together streets, pedestrian and bicycle networks, public transit, buildings, and activity centers to get more from transportation resources, and to form diverse and livable places. Place-making creates locations with distinctive characteristics in the form of unique, humanscale, and pedestrian-oriented design and architecture. Access by proximity clusters the places where people need to go near each other in the form of concentrated, attractive development in amenity-rich destinations. This allows trips to be combined, reduced or eliminated, and helps achieve the critical mass needed to make vibrant public life possible. Choice expands the range of options regarding the type and location of homes, the character of the community, and the means of travel. 61
Ten Principles for Integrating Transportation and Land Use The CDT Program s four key concepts provide the foundation for 10 principles. Together, these principles represent a long-range vision that focuses on creating vibrant and amenity-rich communities. The 10 principles are: 1. Target Growth to Cores, Corridors and Station Areas. 2. Intensify Land Use and Activities. 3. Provide a Diverse Mix of Uses. 4. Design for Pedestrians. 5. Design in Context. 7. Create a Multimodal Transportation System. 8. Establish Streets as Places. 9. Integrate Public Transit. 10. Manage Parking. 6. Focus on Existing Areas. Principle 1: Target Growth to Cores, Corridors and Station Areas When new growth takes place in cores, corridors and station areas, it capitalizes on existing infrastructure investments, including roads, highways, public transit, water and sewer lines, and other public facilities. This principle is particularly effective when local governments utilize it in conjunction with the other CDT principles. Focusing development around public transit stops reduces the need for people to drive. VTA and the Silicon Valley Leadership Group recently conducted a Transit-Based Housing Survey that revealed that people living near light rail stations were five times more likely to commute on public transit than the average resident of that community. Furthermore, building on vacant and underutilized land parcels in existing districts redirects growth away from the urban fringe and conserves open space for recreation, wildlife and food production. Finally, focusing growth to cores, corridors and station areas may reduce the need for local governments to build and then maintain costly new infrastructure. Principle 2: Intensify Land Use and Activities Vibrant, functional and walkable environments all have something in common a high concentration of land use. Strategically placing higher-intensity uses on comparatively less land in cores, corridors and station areas creates the critical mass of activity that 62
Linking Land Use with Transportation supports practical transportation options and, ultimately, places where people want to be. Highintensity locales provide a strong transit ridership base, allowing public transit to serve more destinations and passengers with the same infrastructure. Higher density also helps make places walkable. Where people can walk, businesses tend to thrive, and public spaces, particularly streets, come to life. Chapter 4 Given that cities and neighborhoods in Santa Clara County have diverse identities, demographics and needs, higher density may mean different things to different communities. For example, a residential development in downtown San Jose will have a higher density than one in Willow Glen, but both help enhance the surrounding neighborhoods. Regardless of the location, good urban design and architecture must accompany intense land use to make communities comfortable and attractive. Used together, intensification, good architecture and urban design can help increase public acceptance of higher-density development. Principle 3: Provide a Diverse Mix of Uses Mixed, well-matched land uses within close proximity of each other reduce the need for automobile trips and enhance community livability. For example, retail establishments, such as bookstores, restaurants and coffee shops, included in or built within walking distance to commercial projects allow employees to eat lunch or run errands without driving. A true application of access by proximity. This in turn makes it possible for people to leave their cars at home and commute by public transit, on foot or by bicycle. In residential areas, the presence of a corner store or a café helps reduce the need for additional automobile trips and provides a gathering place for residents. Santa Clara County has a number of examples of successful new and old mixed-use buildings and neighborhoods. The downtowns of Mountain View and Palo Alto, and the Willow Glen neighborhood in San Jose are examples of walkable, mixed-use areas developed around public transit facilities that have maintained a unique community identity over time. A key is to allow mixed-use development to occur in the first place, which often means revising restrictive zoning codes and development standards, or creating new ones altogether. Principle 4: Design for Pedestrians The hallmark of great places is the ability to walk between destinations. Therefore, a central principle of the CDT Program is to design for pedestrians. The current transportation system and built environment in Santa Clara County focus on cars rather than on people. But the beginning and end of every trip involves walking, regardless of the travel modes used in between. Good pedestrian access to a diversity of land uses and transit services is crucial. When trips made on foot are pleasant and safe, neighborhoods flourish, more people walk, and the local economy thrives. 63
The CDT Program provides design specifications for the entire built environment from streets and sidewalks to buildings and civic places for human-scale movement. Designing for pedestrians means designing buildings that people can easily and comfortably access on foot. Such design features include: (1) orienting buildings and entrances toward the street and other areas where pedestrians are likely to come from; (2) minimizing setbacks to create an engaging streetscape; and (3) placing uninteresting parking lots at the rear of buildings. Other pedestrian-oriented design elements include safe and direct walking routes, wide sidewalks, street trees, lighting, and benches. These design elements can improve parking lots, as well as streetscapes. Principle 5: Design in Context Designing with attention to local context creates communities with distinctive identities where people want to come and feel proud to be. Neighborhood identity can be defined by its existing structure and historical character, the culture of its people, or its unique role in the larger community. Design in context means that the materials, design details and architectural styles reflect and reinforce the unique character of and are appropriate for the neighborhood. It also addresses the community s public spaces, such as street design, parks and walkways. Design in context is also about the relationship between buildings and the public spaces that surround and connect them. Principle 6: Focus on Existing Areas Abundant development opportunities exist in areas where the local jurisdiction has already provided basic but expensive infrastructure. At the same time, open space remains one of most valuable resources for recreation and wildlife protection. Vacant, underutilized and abandoned sites present ideal opportunities for implementing the CDT Program s principles. Many of these sites are in established communities with long and rich histories; however, they may have fallen into disrepair over the years, presenting a great opportunity for neighborhood revitalization. With redevelopment, adaptive reuse of existing structures and sensible density increases, urban infill projects on vacant, underutilized or abandoned sites have the potential to accommodate much of Santa Clara County s housing needs and anticipated population growth. These projects, which generally increase the intensity of use, can transform lifeless districts into centers of diversity and activity. Sustaining the community is as important as improving it. Maintenance programs are as vital as good planning and design in terms of creating a sense of place and community. This is especially important for the pedestrian environment, where people interact closely with their surroundings and notice details such as landscaping, pavement conditions and architectural details. 64 Focusing on existing areas results in the development of places with a rich architectural, urban design, historical, and community foundation. Urban infill allows communities to evolve through small-scale developments implemented over time. It also allows communities to focus on creating places of lasting value ones that continue to mature and improve through the years.
Linking Land Use with Transportation Principle 7: Create a Multimodal Transportation System Great places offer a variety of transportation options. Santa Clara County s best solution to traffic congestion is to offer residents and workers the option to walk, bike or ride public transit to reach their destinations. This approach is always more effective and less costly than expanding roadway capacity to address traffic congestion. Providing a balanced network of transportation options eases congestion through the use of other means of travel. Chapter 4 A multimodal transportation system consists of an interconnected bicycle network, continuous pedestrian walkways and a comprehensive public transit system. It also includes the system and infrastructure needed to combine ways to travel and allow people to move easily between them. Examples include clustering amenities and activities where many travel modes meet, and providing good pedestrian connections to public transit stops. Bicycle parking facilities, buildings designed for pedestrian access, and direct pedestrian routes through project sites to popular destinations are also vital components of a functional multimodal transportation system. Streets play a central role in a multimodal transportation system; they are not just for cars. The extent to which a particular street is multimodal will depend on its location, related land uses and function within the larger transportation system. Some roads will give prominence to the automobile and movement of freight, while others may focus on public transit service and the pedestrian environment. The final outcome is a balanced street system that serves all users well regardless of their modes of travel. Principle 8: Establish Streets as Places Streets offer a range of transportation options to move people and goods. But they also provide pervasive public space. They are not only thoroughfares for cars, but they also can be the outdoor living room of the community the setting for neighborly chats, childhood game-playing and evening strolls. Streets can play an integral role in a community s identity. To function effectively as places, streets must balance the needs of people on the move and people at rest. Planning for these multiple purposes requires a street-system design that distributes the traffic load among many narrow streets rather than a few wide ones. This strategy permits traffic to easily distribute over the entire network and provides space for community-oriented design elements, such as wide sidewalks, public spaces, landscaping, and street trees. Adjacent land uses dictate street design. For example, neighborhood streets should have a much different look and feel than regional expressways, and a major arterial serving a mixed-use corridor should have different design characteristics than a state highway. 65
Principle 9: Integrate Public Transit Public transit must be fully integrated with the community to function optimally. Unfortunately, it is often relegated to the periphery of urban spaces or to the edge of high-speed roadways. Transit can be better integrated either by extending the community fabric out to connect with public transit facilities or by bringing public transit service directly into the heart of the community. Light rail and commuter rail stations have the potential to become vibrant centers of community activity. To do this, they must be surrounded by appropriate, intensive land uses with buildings that focus on the station and connect to local destinations through high-quality pedestrian walkways. Integrating buses involves: (1) considering the operation and location of public transit early in the design process; (2) locating bus stops near major buildings; (3) clearly connecting the stops to building entrances; and (4) providing services and amenities for people waiting for the bus. Combining public transit with neighborhood amenities, such as day care centers, retail stores, restaurants, civic services, and entertainment centers, creates a sense of identity for public transit and increases its value to the community. Principle 10: Manage Parking Parking affects both the built environment and the transportation system. Consequently, it is an important component of the CDT Program. Parking occupies enormous amounts of land and has a critical impact on the design of urban areas. A location s approach to parking dictates whether it feels isolated from adjacent uses or integrated into a continuous urban fabric. Suburban office parks and shopping centers provide evidence of how parking can dominate the landscape. If parking is easy to find and comes at no direct expense, then people have less incentive to find and try other transportation options. Managing parking in a way that does not dominate travel decisions or the built environment is key to realizing the vision of the CDT Program. For example, locating parking at the rear or side of buildings, or within buildings as shared-use garages creates a more hospitable urban environment. Sponsoring Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Programs can make other travel modes more attractive. Shared or common parking among several buildings can reduce the total amount of land devoted to cars within a neighborhood. Any parking management approach will require institutionalizing reductions in parking supply and demand. 66