LA GRANDE/ISLAND CITY CASE STUDY: INDIRECT LAND USE AND GROWTH IMPACTS

To improve environmental analysis of indirect land use impacts of highway capacity improvements, this study analyzed the land use and growth patterns of 20 Oregon communities over 20 years. Using a Geographic Information System and aerial photos, growth patterns were categorized and mapped. Factors related to land use and transportation were evaluated for their relationships to resulting growth patterns. These relationships were further investigated in six in-depth case studies of development prior to, during, and after construction of a highway capacity improvement. A guidebook was produced to provide guidance to the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) staff for completing environmental analysis and documentation on indirect land use impacts of highway improvements, based on the findings of the study. One finding was that most highway capacity increases do not cause development to be dramatically different from local land use plan guidance, or from what would have occurred in the absence of the highway improvement. In Oregon, local governments hold the tools to determine development patterns, using zoning and public utilities such as water, sewer and roads. The guidebook is not a directive but a compilation of recommendations for a systematic look and consistent approach to predicting the indirect land use impacts of highway improvements. Appendices A-F of the guidebook provide background on the study findings, including the literature review, growth trends analysis and six in-depth case studies. Also included in the appendices are a discussion of population and employment forecasting issues and a summary of ODOT processes for project evaluation. This report is the full case study report for one community - La Grande/Island City.

• Record URL:
  • http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/Programs/ResearchDocuments/LaGrandeIslandCtyCase.pdf
• 
• Corporate Authors:

  Portland State University

  Center for Urban Studies, P.O. Box 751
  Portland, OR  United States  97207-0751

  ECONorthwest

  99 W 10th Avenue, Suite 400
  Eugene, OR  United States  97401-3001

  Oregon Department of Transportation

  Research Section, 200 Hawthorne Avenue, SE, Suite B-240
  Salem, OR  United States  97301-5192

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Sanchez, T
  • Moore, T
• Publication Date: 2001-4

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Figures; Tables;
• Pagination: 43 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Aerial photography; Case studies; Environmental impact analysis; Geographic information systems; Highway capacity; Impacts; Improvements; Land use; Urban growth
• Geographic Terms: Island City (Oregon); La Grande (Oregon)
• Subject Areas: Highways; Planning and Forecasting; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00924100
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: FHWA-OR-RD-01-16B,, Case Study
• Contract Numbers: SPR 310/327
• Files: TRIS, USDOT, STATEDOT
• Created Date: May 8 2002 12:00AM