June Webinar – ICF Manual on Livability
June 15th, 2:00-3:30 PM. ContextSensitiveSolutions.org presented a webinar on the soon to be released "Livability in Transportation Guidebook: Planning Approaches that Promote Livability" brought to you by Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), in partnership with ICF International, and Project for Public Spaces.
The ideas of livability and Context Sensitive Solutions have the potential to transform America's communities so that they not only have improved transportation systems, but are also sustainable, vibrant, and foster personal and social well-being.
This webinar, and the forthcoming guidebook that is written by ICF International, and sponsored by FHWA and FTA, are intended to help practitioners at the federal, state, and local level understand how to implement livable transportation solutions in a wide range of transportation projects, including projects that are guided by the CSS approach.
A recording of the webinar is available to view here.
Stay Tuned...
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Past Webinars
Using CSS to Help Transportation Investments Foster Livability
May 18, 2:00-3:30 PM ET. ContextSensitiveSolutions.org presented a webinar on applying CSS to transportation investments in order to achieve livability sponspored by FHWA, in partnership with the Walkable and Livable Communities Institute, Renaissance Planning Group, and Project for Public Spaces.
The ideas of livability and Context Sensitive Solutions have the potential to transform America’s communities so that they not only have improved transportation systems, but are also sustainable, vibrant, and foster personal and social well-being.
This webinar is intended to help practitioners at the federal, state, and local level understand which CSS principles to apply, and in which situations, in order to address obstacles to livability in America’s diverse urban, suburban, and rural landscapes.
Quantifying the Benefits of Context Sensitive Solutions, NCHRP Report 642
April 28, 2:30-4:00 PM ET. Nikiforos Stamatiadis, PhD, PE, Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Kentucky will present a webinar on NCRHP Report 642: Quantifying the Benefits of Context Sensitive Solutions. This free webinar is sponsored by FHWA's Office of Planning, Environment and Realty’s Surface Transportation Environment and Planning Cooperative Research Program (STEP), in partnership with the University of Kentucky, and Project for Public Spaces. As more organizations apply the principles of Context Sensitive Solutions, evidence continues to grow that measurable benefits result from this broadly informed and flexible approach to all phases of transportation decision making.
This webinar presented guidelines for quantifying the benefits of CSS to transportation projects. The report will be of immediate interest to the staff of state and municipal agencies with responsibility for planning, programming, developing, and operating transportation projects of all types and sizes.
ITE Walkable Urban Thoroughfares Manual + Elgin, IL CSS Case Study
March 30, 2009.
John Norquist, President and CEO of the Congress for New Urbanism,
Brian Bochner, Senior Research Engineer at the Texas Transportation
Institute, and Gary Toth, Director of Transportation Initiatives at the
Project for Public Spaces presented ITE Walkable Urban Throroughfares Manual
along with an Elgin, IL CSS Case Study. Sponsored by FHWA, in
partnership with the above organizations, this webinar featured the
restoration of a 19th century street grid system in Elgin, IL.
A recording of this Webinar is now available for viewing. The Urban Thoroughfares Manual is available on the Context Sensitive Solutions website: Designing Walkable Urban Thoroughfares: A Context Sensitive Approach: An ITE Recommended Practice
Livability Forum
September 24, 2009 – ContextSensitiveSolutions.org presented a Forum on Livability in partnership with the Office of the Secretary of Transportation (OST), the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). The Forum on Livability was the first national-scale opportunity for dialogue with some of the key U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) leaders and staff engaged in the new transportation and livability initiatives of the Obama administration. Click here for more information. A recording of this Webinar is now available for viewing.
Complete Streets and Context Sensitive Solutions
June 11, 2009 – Gabe Rousseau, Ph.D., Bicycle and Pedestrian Program Manager, FHWA Office of Natural and Human Environment, Barbara McCann, Executive Director of the National Complete Streets Coalition and principal of McCann Consulting, and Michael Ronkin, Owner, Designing Streets for Pedestrians and Bicyclists LLC provided an overview of FHWA's perspective on Complete Streets; including a discussion on the importance of pedestrian and bicycle issues, and what federal programs and policies are available to support communities in their Complete Streets efforts.
The webinar detailed the design and implementation strategies of Complete Streets and how they relate to Context Sensitive Solutions initiatives. The presenters also reviewed the accelerating adoption of complete streets policies and laws across the country.
A Guide to Building CSS Knowledge and Skills for Successful Project Delivery
May 14, 2009 – Leigh Lane and Lisa Murphy from The Louis Berger Group; and Keith Harrison, Safety/Geometric Design Engineer with the Federal Highway Administration Resource Center introduced the online "Guide to Building CSS Knowledge and Skills for Successful Project Delivery" (a.k.a. the Training Guide). A step-by-step, easy to navigate guide that can help anyone interested in developing and/or delivering CSS-related training to staff at varying levels.
Sustainable Stormwater Management Practices
April 16, 2009 – Wendi Goldsmith, President of the Bioengineering Group, Inc., and Clark Wilson, Urban Designer at the EPA Office of Smart Growth, discussed the importance of sustainable stormwater management practices, along with innovative strategies for natural onsite stormwater storage and treatment.
Sustainable stormwater management seeks to eliminate, where possible, the negative impacts of construction activities that disturb the natural hydrologic cycle resulting in elimination or reduction in the permeability of soils, increased "flashy" runoff and general water quality degradation.
Using Design Flexibility to Achieve Context Sensitive Solutions
September 29, 2008 – Led by Gary Toth, Senior Director of Transportation Initiatives at Project for Public Spaces and former Director of Project Planning and Development at New Jersey Department of Transportation, and Jeffrey Shaw, Safety and Design Engineer with the FHWA Resource Center, the presentation discusses the importance of flexible design in achieving context sensitive solutions and a variety of methods for finding the flexibility that exists in most roadway design manuals. These strategies include selecting appropriate design controls, such as design speed and design vehicle, and making careful choices about traffic projections and level of service targets. The webinar also covers tort liability and how design flexibility can allow for proactive roadway designs that fit into their context.
