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barriers and development pressures add to the problem. Many highway engineers continue to see their Aary role as improving mobility and safety. ~cing these objectives with community and environmental protection is still not a chief concern. Agencies often put costs before everything else when addressing community concerns. What makes a success? The agencies we visited are all working hard to overcome these challenges. In our discus- sions with staff members, we identified a number of common factors underlying successful ef- forts to integrate transportation and land use. They include: · Vision. A widely supported statement oflocal values is a fundamental starting point for coor- dinating transportation and land-use decisions. · Leadership. Each project we visited had at least one champion. In Kentucky, the governor took the initiative to ask the Transportation Cabinet and Bluegrass Tomorrow to work together on corridor planning. In Colorado and New Jersey, .Its scope includes school safety measures, to transit, rural design considetations, and speed management and traffic calming. The chapter on design discusses roadway width, curb radius, design speed, and the importance of connectivity. A section on pro- viding and designing sidewalks recommends a five-foot minimum width in urban and suburban areas and paved shoulders in rural areas. The project team worked with the Ac- cess Board to ensure that the latest design standards for ramps and detectable warning strips were included. Guidelines for specific roadway elements include barrier medians and other devices to aid crossing, sight distance issues, a discussion of roundabouts, and a section on overpasses and tunnels. The chapter on operations and maintenance offers advice on pedestrian sig- nals, snow clearance, and pedestrian access around construction sites. In sum, the AASHTO guide offers a truly comprehensive set of design standards for ac- commodating pedestrians, both in existing and new developments. It should prove to be an lellent resource for planners, elected offi- engineers, and architects. 1]' R. Short,]r. Short is a senior planner with Edwards and Kelcey in Chicago. He was a coauthor of the NCHRP report that led to the development of the AASHTO guidelines. local officials and agency staffs have spent decades pursuing long-established community visions. · Partnerships. Successful projects begin with frequent communication among public and pri- vate stakeholders. Project management staffers agree that maintaining communication takes more work up front, but pays offin the long run. · Public process. On the site visits, we learned about many projects that had been stalled for years or even decades by community opposi- tion. When the transportation agencies in- volved became more inclusive and incorpo- rated community feedback and values into their plans, the projects moved forward. · Technical resources. Especially in large agen- cies such as state DOTs, ongoing training is needed to help staff and consultants under- stand planning and design concepts. Smaller communities with limited staff resources can benefit from technical assistance provided by state or regional transportation agencies. · Implementation tools. Tools available to state and regional transportation agencies include agency- wide policy statements, design guidelines and standards, funding for specific projects and pro- American Planning Association 45 grams, and project selection criteria. Municipal tools include zoning, permit streamlining, rede- veiopment incentives, infrastructure provision, and land acquisition funds. We found that such tools are critical in supporting the objectives embodied in municipal and corridor plans. Forays into the land-use arena represent a culture shift for many agencies. Yet those bold enough to make the effort are finding significant payoffs. Immediate benefits in- clude better working relationships with local jurisdictions, greater community acceptance of projects, and more environmentally sensi- tive transportation plans, projects, and devel- opment patterns. Over the long term, greater coordination with land use should help to reduce travel demand and infrastructure investment costs. As the number of success stories increases, it is likely that other transporration agencies will not be far behind. Christopher Porter is a senior associate with Cam- bridge Systematics in Cambridge, Massachusetts. ~ ~ ~ The sidewalk to nowhere-in this case, leading into the Mississippi River. The new AASHTO guide is intended to avoid such snafts.