State and Local Agency Guide on Implementing Safer Land Use Principles

While state departments of transportation (DOTs) are typically not responsible for land use decisions, the connection between transportation and land use is strong. Transportation agencies nationwide have adopted the Safe System Approach (SSA) to reduce roadway fatalities and serious injuries by addressing and/or accommodating vehicle design, roadway environments, speed management, user behavior, and post-crash care. Yet, land use has not been systematically integrated into transportation safety planning. Safer Land Use recognizes that decisions about development density, zoning, parking standards, access management, building siting on parcels, and multimodal connectivity affect crash exposure, likelihood, and severity. Coordinating land use and transportation planning brings homes, workplaces, schools, and amenities into closer proximity, with better interconnectivity of developments that allow for more efficient trip chaining. In addition, this makes walking, biking, and transit more practical, reduces vehicle trips, and contributes to a shared culture of traffic safety. The objective of this research is to develop a resource guide that enables state and local agencies to integrate Safer Land Use principles into the SSA framework. The guide will quantify how land use decisions—such as development density, zoning regulations, parking requirements, access management, and multimodal connectivity—influence crash exposure, likelihood, and severity; assess how roadway safety improvements can mitigate adjacent land use; and identify land use-related countermeasures that improve safety outcomes for all users. The guide will include case studies, policy templates, and potential procedures for interagency collaboration and land use plan review.

• Record URL:
  • http://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=6078
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Contract to a Performing Organization has not yet been awarded.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Proposed
• Funding: $600,000.00
• Contract Numbers:

  Project 23-62

• Sponsor Organizations:

  National Cooperative Highway Research Program

  Transportation Research Board
  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001

  American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)

  444 North Capitol Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Project Managers:

  Weeks, Jennifer

• Start Date: 20260608
• Expected Completion Date: 0
• Actual Completion Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Land use; State departments of transportation; Transportation planning
• Identifier Terms: Safe System Approach
• Subject Areas: Planning and Forecasting; Safety and Human Factors; Transportation (General);

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01992232
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Transportation Research Board
• Contract Numbers: Project 23-62
• Files: TRB, RIP
• Created Date: Jun 10 2026 11:38AM