Metropolitan Centers: Evaluating Local Implementation of Regional Plans and Policies

One of the emerging strategies in metropolitan regions for integrating transportation and land use is to promote development around higher density mixed use centers (metropolitan centers). Considerable research has focused on the design and performance of centers, particularly those linked to fixed transit (transit oriented development). These studies have focused on urban design, the impacts of centers on behavior and the changes induced by fixed transit investment. However, there has been far less analysis of regional influence on local centers, especially “emerging” centers not served by fixed transit. This project will assess local implementation of metropolitan centers in Denver and Salt Lake City. These regions have adopted regional policies for promoting smarter forms of regional growth, and they rely on regional consensus and collaboration rather than a state growth management framework. A multidisciplinary team from the University of Oregon and the University of Utah will research the range of influences on local government plans and policies. The key question being undertaken by the team is how local plans have evolved over time to incorporate smart growth concepts such as mixed use center, and the relative roles of regional planning, market forces, transit investment, and changing local objectives. The research team will analyze historic city documents, interview key stakeholders, survey local officials and analyze spatial data across a selected set of local government case studies. The research team will document: changes to local plans and policies over time, the factors supporting and constraining these changes, and physical evolution of these centers over time. The goal will be to help local governments and metropolitan planning organizations develop understand the factors supporting and constraining these kinds of planning policies to help improve future implementation.

• Record URL:
  http://nitc.trec.pdx.edu/research/project/761/Metropolitan_Centers:_Evaluating_local_implementation_of_regional_plans_and_policies

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Completed
• Funding: $169756
• Contract Numbers:

  NITC 761

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590

  National Institute for Transportation and Communities

  Portland State University
  P.O. Box 751
  Portland, OR  United States  97207
• Project Managers:

  Hagedorn, Hau

• Performing Organizations:

  University of Oregon, Eugene

  Department of Planning, Public Policy and Management, 119 Hendricks Hall
  Eugene, OR  United States  97403-1209

  University of Utah, Salt Lake City

  City & Metropolitan Planning
  201 South Presidents Circle
  Salt Lake City, UT  United States  84112
• Principal Investigators:

  Margerum, Rich

  Bartholomew, Keith

  Lewis, Rebecca

• Start Date: 20140701
• Expected Completion Date: 20160630
• Actual Completion Date: 20170301
• USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers Program

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Land use planning; Metropolitan planning organizations; Mixed use development; Regional planning; Smart growth; Transit oriented development; Urban areas; Urban design
• Geographic Terms: Denver (Colorado); Salt Lake City (Utah)
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Planning and Forecasting; Policy; Public Transportation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01578145
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: National Institute for Transportation and Communities
• Contract Numbers: NITC 761
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Oct 13 2015 6:06PM