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Listed below are examples of case studies including best practices and/or innovative tools/approaches. This section will grow as entries are submitted or links to other sites with useful examples are provided. If you believe your agency has utilized a best practice/approach that others could learn from, please submit a short description to AASHTO (including any pertinent links) on the Share Info with AASHTO form. Please note that currently submissions are only being accepted from governmental entities.
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Chicago's Green Alley Program
Since 2006, the Chicago Department of Transportation has been upgrading the city’s alleys with state-of-the-art green pavement materials and designs to better manage stormwater and prevent flooding. The agency also is testing use of reflective surfaces to reduce the urban “heat island” effect, and is increasing use of recycled materials for rehabilitation of alleys. Chicago’s Green Alley program was launched to help address rainwater collecting in alleys and flooding surrounding areas. Additionally, the program helped meet goals to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change established in Chicago’s Climate Action Plan. Each of the city’s departments was charged with determining how climate change will affect its programs and taking action to help mitigate and adapt to the expected impacts, including increases in temperature and more frequent and severe flooding.
Chicago’s urban landscape includes more than 1,900 miles of public alleys accounting for more than 3,500 acres of impervious surface, one of the largest alley networks of any city in the world, Leopold said. Rehabilitation of the city’s alleys using green techniques offered a good starting point to help relieve environmental stresses on the city’s transportation and sewer infrastructure. Most of the aging alleys throughout the city are not connected to the city’s storm sewer system and are prone to flooding. When flooding problems occur, instead of tearing up the alley and diverting water to the sewer system, officials now install permeable surfaces that slow down the flow of water and allow natural infiltration and recharge to the groundwater below.
The Green Alley program began with five pilot projects, and soon expanded for use on a regular basis. Rehabilitation using green infrastructure practices is taking place as the need arises to upgrade existing alleys. As of the end of 2009, the city will have installed more than 100 green alley designs throughout the city. To help get the word out on its sustainable infrastructure practices, the city published the Green Alley Handbook, which describes best management practices used in the program and examples from pilot projects. The handbook describes the following types of Green Alley techniques:
- improved drainage through proper pitching and grading of the alley;
- use of pavement materials such as permeable pavers, permeable concrete, and permeable asphalt;
- installation of “high albedo” pavement which is light in color and reflects sunlight away from the surface rather than absorbing and radiating heat.
- use of recycled construction materials, including recycled concrete aggregate used in concrete mix and as a base beneath surface paving, use of slag from industrial processes as a component of concrete mix, and use of ground tire rubber in porous asphalt and reclaimed asphalt pavement in non-porous asphalt;
- use of energy efficient, “dark sky compliant” lighting that directs light downward and reduces light pollution.
The handbook describes four applications that used different combinations of these techniques based on site conditions. These included use of green pavement materials with conventional drainage, use of full alley infiltration using permeable pavement, use of center alley infiltration using permeable pavement, and use of green pavement materials with a subsoil filtration system. It also recommends a variety of best management practices that adjacent property owners can use, including recycling, composting of yard waste and scraps, planting shade trees and native plants, use of permeable pavements and green roofs, installation of energy efficient and dark-sky lighting, and creation of naturalized detention and vegetated swales to encourage stormwater infiltration.
The agency has had some “lessons learned,” including the need for increased maintenance for the permeable surfaces. The pervious pavements need to be cleaned on a regular basis to maintain permeability, and cleaning must begin before the pavement becomes deeply clogged with debris. City officials have found they can get the job done by running their traditional street sweepers twice a year – in the fall and the spring – as part of a regular maintenance routine for the green alleys. Chicago DOT is continuing to monitor the performance of green alleys to determine whether maintenance practices are sufficient and to measure infiltration rates, pavement strength and durability, and reflective characteristics of the materials.
For more information, link to the Green Alley Handbook or contact David Leopold, Project Manager, Streetscape and Sustainable Design Program, Chicago DOT, at david.leopold@cityofchicago.org. Information on Chicago’s Climate Change Action Plan may be accessed at http://www.chicagoclimateaction.org/.
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D.C. DOT Initiatives Turn City Roads into 'Great Streets'
The District of Columbia Department of Transportation is emerging as a leader in sustainable approaches to transportation, instituting a collection of environmental process improvements and interagency partnerships to integrate land use, transportation, environmental stewardship, and community needs. There are a wide range of initiatives underway to help build sustainable communities across the city.
One initiative, dubbed “Great Streets,” focuses on improving major road corridors in the city. The program is intended to make road improvements that promote local businesses while also enhancing communities with better pedestrian, bicycle, and transit options for “sustainable mobility,” according to a summary.
The Great Streets initiative follows five basic principles:
- Change the public and market perceptions of the corridors through streetscape and transportation improvements, and reposition them as one of the best places to live and work, consequently expanding the city's tax base;
- Transform roadways and intersections into environmentally friendly and usable community open spaces;
- Change the existing "corridors" function from major vehicular arterials into streets that sustain healthy pedestrian and transit based activities, and consequently support the city's air quality and transportation agendas;
- Transform each corridor into a place that is memorable, compelling, and desirable to visit again and again;
- Reposition the street as a vital neighborhood asset, and thus increase the community's stake in its design, upkeep, and stewardship.
To achieve these goals, DDOT plans to spend more than $100 million over 4 years to improve public spaces in six target corridors. Partner agencies in the city include the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, the Office of Planning, the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR), and Neighborhood Service Coordinators.
DDOT also is a key partner in several multi-agency initiatives and projects to spur economic development, social equity, and mobility in the city. Key among them is the Anacostia Waterfront Initiative, a multi-agency effort to revitalize the areas around the waterfront of the Anacostia River. Goals of the initiative are to achieve environmentally responsible development; to unify diverse waterfront areas into commercial, residential, recreational, and open-space uses; to develop and conserve park areas; and to provide greater access to the waterfront, communities, and business corridors. Construction already has begun on a new 1.5-mile streetcar line in Anacostia, the first installment of a planned city-wide streetcar network. A series of open houses on the proposed streetcar network will be held in late October and early November.
These and many other DDOT initiatives are among a long list of actions included on the “Green D.C. Agenda,” a sustainability initiative launched by D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty on Earth Day 2009. Topping the list are the city’s pioneering efforts to promote bicycling. On Oct. 2, D.C. officials cut the ribbon on a state-of-the-art bicycle station. The facility offers bicycle parking, rentals, repairs and accessories at the west end of Union Station and holds approximately 133 bicycles. The $4 million project was funded by the Federal Highway Administration and DDOT. The city also is home to a first-of-its-kind bicycle sharing program. Launched in 2008, the program currently offers 10 kiosks housing 100 bikes. DDOT has plans to add another 50 stations to the network.
Within DDOT, plans for achieving sustainable transportation will be implemented through a range of process improvements, including a comprehensive environmental management system. Detailed information on environmental compliance and stewardship for DDOT projects is spelled out in the new Environmental Process and Policy Manual. Early consideration of stakeholder concerns allowed DDOT to streamline the review process for the 11th Street Bridges project and earned the agency top honors for environmental streamlining in FHWA’s 2009 Environmental Excellence Awards.
For more information, link to DDOT web pages on the Great Streets Initiative, the Anacostia Initiative, Bike Sharing, Bike Station, Environmental Management System, Environmental Process Manual, and Context Sensitive Solutions Guidelines. Additional information may be accessed by linking to the Green D.C. Agenda and transit and mobility action items page. For more information on DDOT programs, contact Faisal Hameed, DDOT Manager of Project Development & Environment Branch, Transportation Policy and Planning, by e-mail at faisal.hameed@dc.gov.
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Sustainability Indicators for Metropolitan Atlanta
The study evaluates competing transportation and land use plans based on a broad range of sustainability parameters using relevant spatial and environmental analyses. A multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) method was used to aggregate individual performance measures into four basic indexes and further into a composite sustainability index based on regional goals and priorities. The indexes were used to make tradeoffs among the potentially conflicting decision criteria. For more information, link to Sustainability Indicators for Metropolitan Atlanta.
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Hawaii 2050 Sustainability Plan
The Legislature created the Hawaii 2050 Sustainability Task Force. This is a group of 25 citizens with a diverse range of experience in planning, community, business, the environment, and government. They were charged with developing the Hawaii 2050 Sustainability Plan, the State’s first long-range plan in 30 years. The plan contains a definition for sustainable development, strategic goals, planning principles, actions, and a broad range of indicators. For more information, link to Hawaii 2050 Sustainability Plan.
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New York State DOT Launches 'Green' Certification for Road, Bridge Designs
Highway and bridge project designs with environmentally sustainable features will be eligible for green certification under a new program announced by the New York State Department of Transportation in September 2008. NYSDOT's "Green Leadership In Transportation and Environmental Sustainability" (Green LITES) program - the first of its kind in the nation - calls for NYSDOT to certify transportation project designs based on the extent to which they incorporate sustainable environmental choices. For more information, link to the GreenLITES Project Design Certification Program.
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Oregon DOT Plan Sets Goals, Strategies for Sustainability
The Oregon Department of Transportation has launched a plan for incorporating sustainability into its operations and transportation related activities. Volume 1 of the Sustainability Plan, titled Setting the Context, is dated September 2008. It provides the overall vision and rationale for the ODOT’s sustainability efforts and provides background for two additional volumes, which are expected to be completed over the next year and a half.
The sustainability plan builds on past agency practices and responds to the mandates of Oregon’s governors and state legislature. In 2001, the state legislature adopted the Oregon Sustainability Act, setting sustainability objectives for state agencies. In 2003, Governor Ted Kulongoski directed state agencies to designate a sustainability coordinator and develop a sustainability plan. A 2006 executive order created interagency teams to advance sustainability issues such as greenhouse gases, purchasing, electronic waste, and energy.
The Sustainability Plan addresses issues including climate change, rising fuel prices, ongoing impacts to air and water quality and inadequate transportation funding. The plan sets forth objectives for ODOT’s internal operations as well as the statewide transportation system.
Volume 1 explains the context for considering sustainability and introduces the focus areas that will be used to incorporate sustainability into agency operations and transportation system-related activities. Volumes 2 and 3 will add the goals, strategies and indicators of the plan. The goals, indicators, and strategies addressed in Volumes 2 and 3 will address seven focus areas:
- health and safety;
- social responsibility/workforce well-being and development;
- environmental stewardship;
- land use and infrastructure;
- energy/fuel use and climate change;
- material resource flows; and
- economic health.
According to ODOT officials, the agency already is putting many sustainability approaches into practice, including:
- building new facilities to meet energy and environmental performance standards
- partnering with the private sector to design and implement electric vehicle charging stations and a statewide network.
- completing a 100 kilowatt solar array to power lighting at a major interchange (the first “solar highway” in the United States)
- adding hybrid electric vehicles to its fleet while continuing to increase use of alternate and low carbon fuels and energy efficient technologies, such as those that reduce heavy truck idling.
- recycling and reusing materials, ranging from interstate freeway bridge components to office supplies and electronic equipment.
Additional information on the plan may be obtained by linking to the ODOT sustainability website at http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/SUS/ or by contacting ODOT Sustainability Program Manager Marjorie Lifsey, e-mail marjorie.c.lifsey@odot.state.or.us. Text of Volume 1 may be accessed at http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/SUS/docs/Sustain_Plan_Volume1.pdf.
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Washington State Department of Transportation Sustainability Plan and Progress Report
The Washington State Governor’s Executive Orders directed the state Department of Transportation (WSDOT) among other agencies to develop an action plan that incorporates sustainable business practices through a prescribed planning and reporting system. The 2007 WSDOT Sustainability Plan reports on the application of sustainability and efficiency goals set forth by the executive orders. The plan contains performance measures addressing a broad range of modes and sustainability issues. For more information, link to Washington DOT Sustainability Plan and Progress Report.
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Sustainability Indicators for Houston and South African Corridors
This study provides a description of how decisions concerning transportation programs and projects can be made in the context of sustainable transportation. It provides information on identifying appropriate performance measures for sustainable transportation and then quantifying these measures with simulation and environmental models. The quantified performance measures were then used with three decision making methodologies. The test bed used for this study comprised a transportation corridor in Pretoria, South Africa and one in Houston, Texas. For more information, link to Sustainability Indicators for Houston and South African Corridors (available for purchase).
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Monitoring of Sustainable Transport at the Urban Level in Lyon, France
A French research group has defined a set of indicators to monitor sustainable transportation at the urban level. The indicators have been applied to the case of Lyon, France. A further aim is to extend the study to other cities in France and Europe. The analysis exploits a detailed passenger travel survey combining this information with various environmental and other data. The purpose is to provide analytical information to policy makers and the public. For more information, link to Monitoring Sustainable Transportation in Lyon (available for purchase).
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Transport and Environment Reporting Mechanism (TERM) for EU Member States
The Transport and Environment Reporting Mechanism (TERM) is an official monitoring framework developed by the European Environment Agency in collaboration with the European Union Commission and EUROSTAT. The mechanism consists of indicator reports based on an extensive database, with three annual reports so far. TERM reports around 35 to 40 different indicators for a wide range of transport and environment trends in EU Member States as well as accession countries. The main purpose is to support the political process of integrating environmental concerns into transportation policy. For more information, link to Transport and Environmental Reporting Mechanism.
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Monitoring of Transport Canada's Sustainable Development Strategy
As a ministry of the Canadian Government, Transport Canada is obligated by law to produce a Sustainable Development Strategy (SDS), and to monitor progress in its implementation. Its first SDS was adopted in 1997 and the second revised one in 2001. The SDS is structured around a set of seven so-called challenges, broken down into 29 commitments, and approximately 80 targets and performance indicators. Most indicators refer to progress in actions to be taken by Transport Canada to fulfill its strategies. For more information, link to Transport Canada's Sustainable Development Strategy.
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Indicators by Center for Sustainable Transportation
The Center for Sustainable Transportation at the University of Winnipeg in Canada developed an initial set of 14 sustainable transportation performance indicators (STPI). They adopted four criteria to select the indicators: the indicators must be relevant to the definition, have a time series, represent all of Canada, and come from a reliable source. The direction of the graph representing time series numbers for each indicator shows whether progress has been made towards sustainable transportation or not. For more information, link to Indicators by Center for Sustainable Transportation.
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OECD Indicators for Environment and Transportation
This effort by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) pertains to the integration of environmental concerns into transportation policies through the development and use of indicators. The indicators are structured according to three themes: sectoral trends of environmental significance, environmental impacts of the transport sector, and economic linkages between transportation and the environment. For more information, link to OECD Indicators for Environment and Transportation.
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World Bank Manual on Environmental Indicators
The World Bank’s Environmental Economic and Indicators Unit (EEI) has prepared a manual on environmental performance indicators (EPIs). This document discusses indicator frameworks, selection criteria for environmental project indicators, and issues to consider for various environmental areas. The Unit has also prepared several supporting documents on environmental indicators. For more information, link to World Bank Manual on Environmental Indicators.
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Guidebook on Developing Sustainable Urban Land Use and Transportation Strategies
The purpose of the effort by the European Commission is: (1) To present a coherent but flexible general approach to planning for a sustainable urban land use/transportation system; (2) To offer innovative methods for carrying out the steps of that logical structure, especially regarding appraisal of land use/transportation strategies with respect to sustainability, and optimization with respect to sustainability, and (3) To provide detailed advice on a number of issues in the planning process. For more information, link to Guidebook on Developing Sustainable Urban Land Use and Transportation Strategies.
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