Linking Land Use and Transportation

Approaches to linking land use and transportation encompass a holistic view of development. From a transportation perspective, "Smart Growth" includes planning that better coordinates land use and transportation; accommodates pedestrian and bike safety and mobility; provides and enhances public transportation service; improves the connectivity of road networks; and takes a multi-modal approach to transportation with supportive land use development patterns to create a variety of transportation options.

The Federal-aid transportation planning program supports efforts to coordinate land use and transportation decision-making and to foster "smart growth".

Artist's conception of smart growth street scene.

Statewide and Metropolitan Planning Factors:

Support the economic vitality of the United States, the States, and metropolitan areas, especially by enabling global competitiveness, productivity, and efficiency;
Increase the safety of the transportation system for motorized and nonmotorized users;
Increase the security of the transportation system for motorized and nonmotorized users;
Increase the accessibility and mobility options available to people and for freight;
Protect and enhance the environment, promote energy conservation, and improve quality of life, and promote consistency between transportation improvements and State and local planned growth and economic development patterns;
Enhance the integration and connectivity of the transportation system, across and between modes throughout the State, for people and freight;
Promote efficient system management and operation; and
Emphasize the preservation of the existing transportation system.

Photograph of storefronts along busy street.

FHWA planning programs support State and local smart growth policies.

Tool Kit for Integrating Land Use and Transportation: The objective of this tool kit is to provide a user-friendly, web-based source of methods, strategies, and procedures for integrating land use and transportation planning, decision-making, and project implementation.

Transportation, Community, and System Preservation Program (TCSP)

The TCSP Program provides grants to States, metropolitan planning organizations and local governments, and tribal governments to strengthen the linkage between transportation and land use.

Transportation Enhancements Program

The Transportation Enhancement Program funds projects that better integrate transportation into communities. Eligible Transportation Enhancement projects include bicycle and pedestrian facilities, historic preservation, and landscaping and scenic beautification along streets, gateways, waterfronts and highways.

Planning Program Funds to Support Integration of Transportation, Land Use, and Climate Change New 1/08/09

Current FHWA/FTA planning requirements (23 U.S.C. 134 and 135, 49 U.S.C. 5303 and 5304) call for metropolitan planning organizations, and State DOTs to consider land use and economic development impacts in their transportation planning processes. The FHWA/FTA issued guidance to clarify the eligibility and criteria for use of FHWA/FTA metropolitan and statewide planning program funds to support UPWP and SPR work activities addressing the integration of transportation, land use, and climate change.

Aerial photograph of traffic circle in Boca Raton, Florida.

Context-sensitive solutions

Context sensitive solutions (CSS) is a collaborative, interdisciplinary approach that involves all stakeholders to develop a transportation facility that fits its physical setting and preserves scenic, aesthetic, historic, and environmental resources, while maintaining safety and mobility. CSD is an approach that considers the total context within which a transportation improvement project will exist.

Scenario Planning

Scenario Planning provides a framework for developing a shared vision for the future by analyzing various forces (e.g., health, transportation, economic, environmental, land use, etc.) that affect growth. The website provides noteworthy practices and innovative uses of Scenario Planning applications for transportation planning, explore other Scenario Planning Resources and learn who to contact in FHWA about particular Scenario Planning questions or issues.

Transportation Planning Capacity Building

FHWA/FTA Transportation Planning Capacity Building (TPCB) initiatives assist state and local decision makers in addressing complex transportation issues by providing information and resources on improving and enhancing many aspects of transportation planning programs and activities.

Bicycle and Pedestrian Program

The Bicycle & Pedestrian Program of the Federal Highway Administration's Office of Human and Natural Environment, promotes bicycle and pedestrian transportation accessibility, use, and safety:

Integrating Health and Physical Activity

For information provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on the connections between walking, bicycling, urban design, and healthy lifestyles.

Research on how land use and transportation systems affect options available for physical activity.

Photo of people meeting to demonstrate public involvement.

Public involvement is essential to developing sustainable smart growth initiatives.

FHWA promotes increased public involvement in the transportation decision-making process by:

Providing best practices in public involvement;
Articulating the benefits of early and continuous public involvement;
Providing training, peer exchanges, workshops and technical assistance; and
Demonstrating public involvement strategies that have been effective with traditionally underserved populations.

Analytical Methods

Toolbox for Regional Policy Analysis - A toolbox of analytical methods for testing the regional impacts of transportation and land use policies.

Linking Land Use and Transportation in Project Development

Community Impact Assessment - An iterative process of understanding potential impacts of proposed transportation investments on communities.
Linking Planning and NEPA - The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) have developed legal and program guidance on how information, analysis, and products from metropolitan and statewide transportation planning processes can be incorporated into and relied upon in the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process under existing Federal statutes and regulations.

Operations affects land use and transportation

Linking transportation planning and operations improves transportation systems management and operations across a region.

To provide Feedback, Suggestions or Comments for this page contact Robin Smith at robin.smith@dot.gov.


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