Picture It Better Together: Taking Transportation Goals From Policy to Reality

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Picture It Better Together Taking
Transportation Goals From Policy to Reality

• A Partnership Project between theCity of
  HartfordParkville Revitalization Association
• Capitol Region Council of Governments
• Working with the Towns of Suffield and West
  Hartford

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Summary of Project and Products
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CRCOGs Picture It Better Goals and Products

• Enhance understanding at the local level of the
  regional system that connects and supports
  municipalities.
• Develop a replicable model of regional
  understanding and cooperation.
• Ascertain support for sustainable regional
  development policies and design.
• Public Engagement Campaign
• Visual Preference Exercise Phone Survey
• Regional Forums, Focus Groups Video
• Media Outreach Project Committee Structure

• Identify some of the behaviors and regulations
  that lead to sprawl and assist towns in
  developing locally appropriate alternatives.
• Determine economic development tools/techniques
  that enhance the strengths of each type of
  community and that utilize anti-sprawl concepts.
• Land Use Regulation Analysis
• Best Practices Research and Development Guide

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Parkvilles Picture It Better Goals and Products

• Traffic Calming.
• Pedestrian and bicycle-friendly environments
  pleasant streets.
• Parking that supports business while reinforcing
  pedestrian activity.
• Improved truck flow to industry.
• Park design for Pope Park West more green space
  for Parkville.
• Plan for transit stations for proposed
  Hartford-New Britain busway.
• Plan for proposed I-84 improvements ensuring
  improved access and preservation of neighborhood
  character.
• Improved connections with other neighborhoods and
  the region.

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Recent headlines that help tell the story as to
why we need to address growth and development in
the region and the need for varied strategies.
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Partnership Development

• The City of Hartford, on behalf of Parkville
  Revitalization Association (PRA), and CRCOG
  submitted two separate letters of intent
• Both shortlisted
• Regional scope to examine an urban, suburban, and
  rural community as prototypes
• Parkville scope to create urban design, land use
  and transportation plans
• Parkville fits well as the urban prototype
• Combining brings additional benefits
• Brings together the big picture with concrete
  plans
• Provides an extra research opportunity to measure
  how a neighborhood group and a regional agency
  can become better partners

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Innovation by Major Themes

• Creating Partnership
• Building the Knowledge Base
• Demonstrating Results
• Innovation in Planning Practice
• Strengthening of the Transportation Planning
  Process
• Leveraging Opportunities

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Innovation by Major Themes

• Creating Partnership
• Project Working Committee comprised of regional
  planners, city staff, and neighborhood
  volunteers.
• Other partners are a rural and suburban town.
  Our project brings together rural, suburban, and
  urban and is finding and building on common
  interests.
• Building the Knowledge Base
• The scope of work integrates design, open space,
  economic development and transportation.
• Demonstrating Results
• Adoption of outreach tool yielded success in
  another CRCOG project.
• Parkville neighborhood realizes its vested
  interests in regional issues.

• Innovation in Planning Practice
• Neighborhood leadership role.
• Outreach program.
• Strengthening the Transportation Planning Process
• Neighborhood not just involved but creator of
  alternatives giving better results and early
  support.
• Leveraging Opportunities
• Evidence already of the TCSP adding value to the
  bus rapid transit project.
• Same potential with proposed interstate
  interchange modifications, Bradley Airport
  traffic recommendations, private sector project
  review, and in general to enhance infrastructure
  investments by raising the concept of regional
  development.

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Building the Knowledge Base--blending design,
open space, transportation
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Evolution of Parkvilles Rapid Transit

• Innovation in Planning Practice
• Neighborhood leadership role.
• Strengthening the Transportation Planning Process
• Neighborhood not just involved but creator of
  alternatives giving better results and early
  support.
• Increased neighborhood ownership.
• Leveraging Opportunities
• TCSP is adding value to the bus rapid transit
  project.

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ConnDOTs Initial Split Station Concept--Long
walk required in industrial space
Platform
At-Grade Pedestrian Crosswalk
Platform
Sidewalk
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ConnDOTs Initial Model Station
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ConnDOTs Initial Parkville Station
ProposalStation set back and farther from
neighborhood center
Orange St.
Francis Ave.
Park St.
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Parkvilles Alternative Busway StationLocated
closer to center, reinforces urban street edge
Parkville alternative proposed and accepted by
ConnDOT
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Parkvilles Alternative Busway Station
Parkville alternative proposed and accepted by
ConnDOT
Peter MiniuttiLandscape Architect
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Parkvilles Transit Next Steps
As a consequence of increasing the knowledge
base, the neighborhood advocates for a new
transit service.
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Innovation in Planning-outreach
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Innovation in Planning-outreach
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Innovation in Planning--outreach
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Innovation in Planning-outreach
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Demonstrating Results The outreach technique has
extended to other CRCOG projects.
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Evaluation Approach

• Data Sources
• Secondary Data
• Zoning database
• Assessed property values along the busway
• Census data
• Economic indicators
• Primary Data
• Photographic database
• Survey data

• Methods
• Qualitative
• Review of partnership development
• Community interaction with busway
• Interviews
• Self-Assessment
• Quantitative
• Trend Analyses
• Surveying

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Evaluation Approach

• Timing
• Baseline data nearly in place
• Processes in place to track qualitative data
• Analysis begins next year

• Responsibility
• CRCOG Parkvilles Project Managers sharing
  responsibility for evaluation

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Data ExamplesCapitol Region Land Zoned
ResidentialGreen 8 du/acOrange 4 to 8
du/acYellow other residential zones(white
areas non-residentially zoned)

• 78 zoned residential
• 5 of residential land zoned for 4 - 8 du/acre
• 2 of residential land zoned for 8 du/acre

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Data ExamplesCapitol Region Land Zoned
Residential
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Busway Route
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Data ExamplesExisting Zoning along the Proposed
Busway Purple IndustrialRed
CommercialBright Green, Orange, and Yellow
ResidentialDark green, blue resourceGray tic
marks proposed busway(see previous
slide for residential density key)
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Data Examples Capitol Region Housing Growth,
1990 to 1998Green 12 Orange 8 to
12Pink 4 to 7.9White is 0 to 3.9
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What We Are Learning About Evaluation

• Without dedicated resources, the evaluation plan
  must be targeted.
• Be realistic about data collection and time for
  analysis.
• Good knowledge of secondary sources essential.
• Write a thorough evaluation plan initially, then
  fine tune it after the project is underway.
• The most innovative parts of the project may not
  be apparent at the beginning.
• An increased appreciation about the role of
  evaluation in projects.

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Taking Transportation Goals From Policy To
Reality What We Have Learned

• How a MPO and a neighborhood work together.
• Bringing about regional change takes person to
  person contact.
• There is a distinction between Smart Growth and
  Smart Development.
• Pedestrian improvements is a distinct strategy
  from traffic calming.
• TCSP resources have been essential for
• Advancing busway station planning to station area
  planning.
• Crafting a vision of regional growth and
  priorities.
• Providing to communities and neighborhoods of our
  region with Smart Growth/Development tools that
  are appropriate by community type and regional
  context.

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For further information

• Richard Porth, Executive DirectorLinda Osten,
  Project ManagerCapitol Region Council of
  Governments, 241 Main Street, Hartford, CT
  06106860 522-2217
• David Morin, PresidentKathleen McCabe, Project
  ManagerParkville Revitalization Association,
  1429 Park Street, Hartford, CT 06106877
  575-2636
• Gerry Maine, Principal PlannerCity of Hartford,
  Planning Division, 10 Prospect Street,
  Hartford, CT 06103860 543-8675