Abstract:
It is argued that the public policy on land use and transportation planning must be reoriented and linked to promote a balanced pattern of development. This paper uses Aquidneck Island as a case study to describe how land use and transportation planning can be linked at the regional level. Aquidneck Island is located in the State of Rhode Island and is home to the communities of Newport, Middletown and Portsmouth. The island is about 45 square miles. The population of the island was 60,958 in 2000. Past development patterns and population growth have contributed to a congested road network, costly road maintenance projects and inconsistent land use decisions based on limited knowledge of the regional transportation network. In order to promote effective regional planning for the island, the Aquidneck Island Planning Commission was created by resolutions of the three communities in 1985. The paper is organized into three sections. First, the paper presents a profile of the island and its three communities. This is followed by an analysis of the initiative to promote regional land use and transportation planning on the island. Specifically, the paper discusses the development and application of a travel demand forecasting model for the island using TransCAD software package. The paper ends with a summary of findings and recommendations for the refinement and the future application of the model for Aquidneck Island.
0000-0003-3374-3428