February 25, 2020
The Form-Based Codes Institute and the State Smart Transportation Initiative, programs of Smart Growth America, are hosting a webinar to explore how the reform of parking regulations can enhance our communities
Webinar
Transportation project prioritization: Hear from Virginia and Hawaii
July 10, 2019
State DOTs are moving toward more transparent, data-driven, and multimodal project prioritization and SSTI invites agency leaders to join the effort. Join SSTI’s Chris McCahill, to learn more about our upcoming work, along with Virginia Office of Intermodal Planning and Investment’s Chad Tucker and HDOT’s Ed Sniffen as they share lessons and visions for these innovative approaches.
Moving beyond LOS: The Pasadena story
January 25, 2019
The common practice of restricting infill development based on its impact on roadway level of service (LOS) has for decades depressed green, efficient compact development and induced energy-intensive, costly sprawl. Now many cities are moving to reform their land-use review process to lessen the emphasis on LOS, and instead to focus on system-wide impacts from development, as measured in vehicle-miles traveled (VMT)
Modern traffic mitigation for development in cities: Moving beyond LOS
October 29, 2018
Cities exist to provide people and firms with access to goods, services, employment, and other people. A mark of a city’s success is the clustering of complementary land uses to residents’ and businesses’ mutual benefit; the more people and activities within reach of each other, the greater the benefit from this accessibility. Join Eric Sundquist, SSTI Director; Ramses Madou, Transportation Planner with San Jose Department of Transportation; and moderator Beth Osborne, Senior Policy Advisor at Smart Growth America, for a lively discussion of the opportunities and challenges of moving from LOS to VMT and what steps are needed to make this shift work.
Getting the staff you need, and keeping them: TDOT’s story
September 5, 2018
This webinar will take you through the environment that Commissioner John Schroer and Chief Financial Officer Joe Galbato faced in Tennessee, and more importantly, what they did to combat these forces. The path taken in Tennessee required strong support from the top such as Governor Bill Haslam’s legislation from 2012. We look forward to sharing their story with you.
TIGER is now BUILD. Other changes you need to know.
May 18, 2018
USDOT has released its Notice of Funding Opportunity for the next round of TIGER grants, or should we say BUILD grants. Among the unexpected changes to the program this year is the rebranding: Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD). Beth Osborne, who ran the first five rounds of TIGER at USDOT and is now the Vice President of technical assistance at Smart Growth America, joined us for this webinar.
Fitting the road to the context: Florida’s Context Classification and Complete Streets implementation
November 28, 2017
The Florida Department of Transportation is making major strides toward improving pedestrian and bicycle safety through its Complete Streets Implementation initiative. One of FDOT’s most innovative achievements has been the recent adoption of eight context classifications to guide road design decisions. Under this new system, planners and engineers will consider existing and future characteristics such as land uses, building configuration, and street connectivity to ensure that roads are designed for the right vehicle speeds, road users, and trip types. While the concept of context classification is not new, FDOT is one of the first states to operationalize it within formal decision-making processes. Join DeWayne Carver from FDOT to learn about the new context classification approach, why FDOT developed it, and how it will guide roadway design decisions moving forward.
Advancements in measuring bicycle and pedestrian accessibility
September 12, 2017
Measures of destination accessibility by automobile and transit are growing in use. Virginia, for example, evaluates both in project prioritization. Yet measures of bicycle and pedestrian accessibility have taken longer to implement, largely because of added complexities and data deficiencies. People on bikes and on foot are much more sensitive to the types of facilities available, exposure to nearby traffic, and other factors for which there isn’t always good data. Join People For Bikes and SSTI to learn how these challenges are being overcome and how the measures are being put use.
Parking counts – Understanding demand in cities
July 12, 2017
Many cities and towns recognize that their parking requirements and regulations are outdated, but they struggle in taking the first step toward reform. This process often begins by auditing the existing supply and understanding how it’s being used, which can be a major undertaking. This webinar shares lessons from two recent parking demand studies and offers guidance on conducting similar studies more efficiently.
Operationalizing Accessibility: Tools and Practices
March 30, 2017
Planners and transportation professionals are moving toward measures of accessibility to describe how well a transportation system lets people meet a variety of daily needs — e.g. getting to work, shopping, and socializing. As useful as these measures can be, data and technology have just recently made them widely available and easy to use. That leaves many key questions about operationalizing them. SSTI, Renaissance Planning Group, and Citilabs are working throughout the U.S. to develop tools, standards, and practices needed to operationalize accessibility measures in different applications including planning, project evaluation, equity analysis, and design. This work has also led to the development of two distinct measures representing both work and non-work accessibility.