Abstract:
Achieving the goal of integrating transportation and land use planning remains a formidable challenge in many geographical areas in the United States. Policy formulation and planning practices at state, regional, county and local jurisdictional levels vary, and most remain in a relatively nascent state relative to the integration issue -- the fundamental question of “Which came first? Land use or transportation planning?”. This paper presents a summary of key findings from a small area transportation study located in Sumner County and the City of Gallatin, Tennessee. Through this study, the regional metropolitan planning organization, the Nashville Area MPO, sought to develop a prototypical approach in the development of a multimodal transportation network in high-growth areas of the Nashville metropolitan region. Emphasis is placed on the basic process used to approximate and quantify the study area development impact on regional travel demand, and vice versa, while providing short-term tools to guide private development by tying specific development back into the regional vision consistent with public sector investments, development review ordinances and process.
