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Center for Advancing Research in Transportation Emissions, Energy, and Health (CARTEEH)

A USDOT University Transportation Center

Redesign and Repurpose the Road System

As the transportation system is continuously being modified and redesigned, urban planners and transportation experts have the ability to reimagine the built environment by implementing more sustainable designs.1 For example, urban planners can transform underutilized, inefficient, and outdated transportation infrastructure into opportunities to create a healthier built environment.

Some of these efforts can include:
– Replacing underutilized parking infrastructure with green infrastructure, like parks or garden
– Replacing unused lanes of traffic with separated sidewalks and bike paths
– Installing a new transit system in additional traffic lanes
– Construct narrower lanes as a traffic calming measure to enhance the safety of pedestrians and cyclists
– Freeway removal and deconstruction to promote connectivity, public transit, and modes of active transportation2

Considering this strategy will help achieve the goal of the following objectives

  • Less Contamination
  • Less Emissions
  • Less Traffic Noise
  • Connectivity and Inclusion
  • Healthy Destinations
  • Less Traffic Violence
  • Active Transportation
  • Green Space

Transportation lifecycle phases

This strategy is associated with the following transportation lifecycle phases:

  • Construction
  • End of Life
  • Maintenance
  • Material Selection
  • Operations
  • Policy and Planning
  • Project Development

Who's involved

  • Local governments
  • MPOs
  • Policymakers
  • Transit agencies
As the transportation system is continuously being modified and redesigned, urban planners and transportation experts have the ability to reimagine the built environment by implementing more sustainable designs.1 For example, urban planners can transform underutilized, inefficient, and outdated transportation infrastructure into opportunities to create a healthier built environment.
Some of these efforts can include:
-Replacing underutilized parking infrastructure with green infrastructure, like parks or gardens
-Replacing unused lanes of traffic with separated sidewalks and bike paths
-Installing a new transit system in additional traffic lanes
-Construct narrower lanes as a traffic calming measure to enhance the safety of pedestrians and cyclists
-Freeway removal and deconstruction to promote connectivity, public transit, and modes of active transportation 2

How it Helps

Redesigning the current transportation system to implement more efficient and sustainable solutions can benefit both public health and the environment. Making improvements to outdated and underutilized transportation infrastructure can reduce vehicle emissions and noise levels by encouraging more road users to switch to biking, walking, or public transit. It can also increase access to green space which can improve mental health, encourage exercise, and promote community connectivity. These reimagined designs can also improve the safety of road users by increasing their separation from vehicular traffic and implementing traffic calming measures.

Implementing

Collaboration:

In order to replace or renovate outdated or unused transportation infrastructure with more sustainable and health-promoting designs, it will require collaboration among a range of stakeholders including urban planners, city government officials, transportation experts, and public health professionals. Each of these groups will be able to provide helpful implementation regarding how the proposed infrastructure changes will impact the surrounding population and environment.

Equity Concerns:

Unfortunately, mobility and accessibility gaps continue to persist between different population groups in the United States, particularly among individuals of lower socioeconomic status.3 Additionally, it has been shown that certain built environment infrastructure elements—such as bicycle lanes, parks, or public transit service—tend to be added or improved more often in areas with higher socioeconomic affluence.4 This can play a considerable role in the root causes of health disparities. Therefore, planners will have to ensure that these communities are not getting left behind in transportation infrastructure improvements.

Examples

1) Rochester, New York Deconstruction

Rochester, New York used to have a busy Inner Loop beltway that was constructed to connect to I-490. Unfortunately, this led to a decline in the surrounding population for the next several decades. Beginning in 1990, the city had the goal of removing this overbuilt roadway section that they said was a barrier to downtown. The city completed the new Union Street in 2017 in place of the loop, and this design featured parking lanes, sidewalks, bike paths, crosswalks, and greenery among the vehicle lanes. It also contains new housing—including subsidized housing—and retail spaces. In the case of Rochester, removing an outdated section of highway and replacing it with multi-use development greatly benefited the surrounding area.

https://www.lincolninst.edu/publications/articles/2020-03-deconstruction-ahead-urban-highway-removal-changing-cities

1. Sisson, P., et al. (2017). Reimagining our roads. Curbed. https://archive.curbed.com/2017/9/6/16257078/street-redesign-urban-planning
2. Deconstruction Ahead: How Urban Highway Removal is Changing Our Cities. (2020). Lincoln Institute of Land Policy. https://www.lincolninst.edu/publications/articles/2020-03-deconstruction-ahead-urban-highway-removal-changing-cities
3. Rodrigue, J. 3.2–Transportation and Society. The Geography of Transport Systems. https://transportgeography.org/contents/chapter3/transportation-and-society/
4. Hirsch, J. A., et al. (2016). Neighborhood sociodemographics and change in built infrastructure. Journal of Urbanism: International Research on Placemaking and Urban Sustainability, 102, 181-197. https://doi.org/10.1080/17549175.2016.1212914