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Christopher Porrer When it comes to integrating transportation and land use~ the winners are... ransportation engineers and land-use plan- ners have traditionally occupied their own spheres. (Think of "men are from Mars, women are from Venus," only more so.) State depart- ments of transportation and metropolitan plan- ning organizations typically view land use as a local responsibility. Yet local jurisdictions don't necessarily have the same perspective on re- gional needs. Things are improving, though. With na- tional interest in smart growth, transporta- tion agencies in many parts of the U.S. are working to strengthen their land-use plan- ning connections. The efforts highlighted in this article are a case in point. The agencies cited here were entrants in the 2002 "Smart Moves" competition, sponsored by the American Association of State High- way and Transportation Officials, the Federal Highway Administration, and the Environ- The Paris Pike outside Lexington, Kentucky, is a nationally recognized example of con text- sensitive highway design. . mental Protection Agency. The intent of this event was to showcase outstanding state and local efforts to promote smart growth prin- ciples in transportation projects. The first competition drew 32 proposals, and eight winners were selected. A second competition attracted 36 new proposals. Three winners were announced last September. A lot to learn The competitions highlight successful examples of integrating transportation and land use. Yet the sponsors felt that there was more to learn from successful agencies than could be encapsulated in a brief press release. "We wanted to understand how these practices came about, who initiated them, what steps were taken, and why they succe'eded," says Janet Oakley, AASHTO's Director of Policy and Government Relations. "So we decided