Office of Planning, Environment, & Realty (HEP)
Planning
Livability in Transportation Guidebook - FHWA-HEP-10-028 (or PDF - 3.9 MB)
The Livability in Transportation Guidebook illustrates how livability principles have been incorporated into transportation planning, programming, and project design, using examples from State, regional, and local sponsors. The guidebook is intended to be useful to a diverse audience of transportation agency staff, partners, decision makers, and the general public, and is applicable in urban, suburban, and rural areas. The guidebook explores how transportation planning and programs can improve community quality of life, enhance environmental performance, increase transportation and housing choice while lowering costs, and support economic vitality. The Guidebook includes an executive summary, an introduction, six "planning approach" chapters, and a conclusion. A separate appendix provides details about each of the case studies.
Highways play a huge role in livable communities by providing a safe, reliable, highly connected, and well-maintained system of roads that allow easy access to jobs, housing, education, and a multitude of community services. The United States became the model of the world because of its highways that allow for freedom of movement and individual choice for lifestyles. The completion of the National Highway System is by far the largest construction project in human history. Americans depend on the highway system to provide a driving experience by which they can safely navigate to work, home, and to access other transportation needs. In addition, America's economic prosperity can be directly linked to expansion of the highway system. Highways will continue to play a new crucial role in America's future by enhancing and improving communities.
In support of the DOT/HUD/EPA Partnership for Sustainable Communities, the FHWA Office of Planning, Environment, and Realty completed a series of case studies to highlight some examples underway in rural, urban, and suburban areas of highways that support of livable communities. The case studies portray how highways support the progression of livable communities. While neighborhoods are the foundations upon which most people build their lives, highways have the one single most important factor-mobility-allowing the safe and efficient movement of people, freight, and emergency vehicles, this is the cornerstone of highways role in livability. This series of case studies include:
Case Studies listed above also available in PDF format (625KB).