LIVABLE STREETS INITIATIVE: THE TENSION BETWEEN ALTERNATIVE DESIGNS AND VIRGINIA CODE AND GUIDELINES

ABSTRACT The Hampton Roads Planning District Commission (HRPDC) staff was requested to undertake a study which evaluates the compatibility of VDOT guidelines with the concept of “livable streets.” Livable streets are residential streets which are built (or modified) to be safe and user-friendly, for pedestrians as well as drivers, and visually pleasing to those who live along them. Some people believe that certain street guidelines, such as a 30-foot minimum pavement width, sacrifice aesthetic and pedestrian goals in order to better serve vehicular traffic. This study examines which tools used to create livable streets are compatible with VDOT guidelines, regulations, and laws and which are not. It is to be used by localities, developers, and consultants to aid them as they choose local street designs and seek approval from VDOT for these designs. INTRODUCTION The staff of the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission (HRPDC), a body which serves as the MPO for the Norfolk-Virginia Beach-Newport News area, was requested to undertake a study which evaluates the compatibility of VDOT guidelines with the concept of “livable streets.” Livable streets are residential streets which are built (or modified) to be safe and user-friendly, for pedestrians as well as drivers, and visually pleasing to those who live along them. Some people believe that certain street guidelines, such as a 30-foot minimum pavement width, sacrifice aesthetic and pedestrian goals in order to better serve vehicular traffic. This study examines which tools used to create livable streets are compatible with VDOT guidelines and which are not. It is to be used by localities, developers, and consultants to aid them as they choose local street designs and seek approval from VDOT for these designs. This study examines various tools which are being used in the U.S. and around the world today in attempts to make neighborhood streets more livable. Most of the tools examined in this study were taken from two current movements: “Neo-traditional Neighborhoods” and “Traffic Calming”. Neo-traditional neighborhoods are updated versions of older neighborhood designs. They often include a grid pattern for streets, narrower street widths, and alleys behind the homes. Traffic calming includes a number of tools (e.g. speed humps and street closures) which are designed to slow and/or reduce traffic in neighborhoods. Most of the tools in this study, whether associated with neo-traditional neighborhoods or traffic calming, can be employed in either existing