A HISTORICAL REVIEW OF TRB COMMITTEE A2A05: LANDSCAPE AND ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN COMMITTEE

The Landscape and Environmental Design Committee, officially known as Committee A2A05 of the Transportation Research Board (TRB), is one of the oldest Committees in TRB. For those unfamiliar with TRB's Committee structure, A2A05 is indicative of the Committee being in Division A (Technical Activities), Group 2 (Design and Construction), Section A (General Design) and the fifth Committee within that Section. Throughout its history the Committee has produced many publications and identified emerging issues through the establishment of Task Forces and Subcommittees that eventually developed into full TRB Committees. Committee A2A05 has been a very productive and innovative TRB Committee. The year 2002 marks the 70th anniversary of the TRB Committee that started its life as the Joint Roadside Development Committee of the Highway Research Board and the American Association of State Highway Officials in 1932. This historical review is presented in the following sections: Introduction; In the Beginning, 1932; Getting Started, 1932 to 1939; The War Years, 1941 to 1946; The Post-War Boom, 1947 to 1956; The Interstate Years, 1956 to 1964; Highway Beautification, 1965 to 1970; The Age of Environmental Awareness, 1971 to 1991; ISTEA and TEA 21, 1991 to 2002; Committee Activities; and What's Next.