“Traffic congestion is caused by vehicles, not by people in themselves.”
― Jane Jacobs, The Death and Life of Great American Cities
For people as passionate about community as our team, Colorado’s Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Planning Standard rule is something to celebrate. Designed to help the state meet GHG reduction targets, the rule represents a monumental shift in transportation policy away from highway expansion–with positive ripple effects for creating more livable communities.
Gone are the days of fighting to keep highway expansion from destroying neighborhoods, at least in Colorado. Instead, the rule encourages CDOT and Colorado’s five metropolitan planning organizations to prioritize transportation projects that will ultimately reduce GHG emissions, especially public transit. Already the GHG Planning Standard halted plans to widen Interstate 25 through Denver, according to a recent New York Times article.
“The decision to do nothing was arguably more consequential than the alternative. By not expanding the highway, the agency offered a new vision for the future of transportation planning.”
~Colorado’s Bold New Approach to Highways–Not Building Them, The New York Times, May 31, 2024
In practice, while some highway expansion will continue, increasingly resources will be directed toward public transportation and supportive infrastructure. Traditionally, highway expansion has been driven by the belief that increased capacity will alleviate traffic congestion. However, research shows that road and highway expansion induces demand, failing to alleviate long-term congestion and actually increasing driving overall.
Traffic congestion is frequently a symptom of low-density land use policies that push housing developments further from job centers, contributing to increased housing costs and longer commutes. In many Colorado communities, resistance to density leads to housing being constructed farther from city centers and job hubs. In a recent Aspen Journalism article, Community Builders’ Executive Director Clark Anderson highlights the Grand Avenue Bridge in Glenwood Springs as a striking illustration of the cost of resistance to density:
“That bridge is a $125 million dollar affordable housing project…We weren’t willing to invest in creating affordable housing close to where people work, so we reshaped Glenwood Springs to ship people up and down the valley all day…”
Sprawl results in increased traffic congestion due to limited transit options and infrequent services. The distance between homes and jobs makes non-motorized transportation impractical for most residents, though electric bikes and scooters are becoming increasingly popular for trips that are too long for pedestrians or bicyclists. The concept of first-and-last-mile solutions, such as the Roaring Fork Valley’s WEcycle program, which focus on connecting residents from their starting point to the nearest public transportation hub and from the hub to their final
destination, play a crucial role in making alternatives to car travel more feasible and appealing.
On the other hand, communities that are easier to get around by public transportation, walking, and biking, also tend to be more enjoyable to live in. Safer, quieter streets and denser, mixed-used, transit-oriented neighborhoods with amenities like shade and green space, sitting and gathering areas, and public art also contribute to a higher quality of life. When places feel more vibrant and human-centered, people are more likely to venture out to explore the neighborhood, visit a local shop or restaurant, run into a neighbor on the street, or invest their energy in civic engagement. This pattern of community design and development ultimately leads to more connected communities and resilient, localized economies.
“Widening highways is a true testament of “build it and they will come.” Rarely do widened highways improve traffic, LA is a great example of this. But of course we must greatly improve the alternatives to driving on them, as well as increase housing options closer to the jobs.” ~J.J. Folsom, Director, Community Builders
Many of CB’s partners are actively working to make their communities, and especially their downtowns, more accessible by pedestrians, cyclists, and public transit. In towns like Hotchkiss and Meeker, where a highway also functions as Main St, placemaking requires an extra level of creativity to carve out opportunities for people to enjoyably and safely experience downtown. In Taos, the community came together to design a network of integrated non-motorized paths that connect to regional public transit.
To realize the full benefits of Colorado’s paradigm shift in transportation policy, that shift needs to be mirrored in the way we shape and move around our neighborhoods and communities. However, reversing the pattern of highway expansion in Colorado creates both greater opportunity and greater need for the work of Community Builders and our community partners in dreaming, designing, and redeveloping places to be more localized, connected, and transit-oriented.
The shift away from highway expansion towards livable communities is not just about reducing emissions and traffic congestion; it’s about creating vibrant, sustainable, and resilient places where people can thrive. While climate concerns finally moved the needle on Colorado’s transportation policy, decades of effort by community leaders–often concerned with protecting the character of the neighborhoods they lived in and loved–built a strong case for the end of the era of highway expansion.
A sea change away from car-centric infrastructure and culture toward transit- oriented, human-scale communities will not happen overnight. Colorado may be an outlier in its forward-thinking transportation strategy, but states including Minnesota, Maryland, and New York are beginning to follow suit. As more and more cities and rural places explore how to improve their community design and transportation systems at the local level, we are hopeful that more states will respond with their own supportive policies.
Now, if only Jane Jacobs were here to celebrate with us.
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Placemaking
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Transportation