In September 2010, the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC) embarked on a regional study that would find the best approach to incorporating Complete Streets design concepts onto Southern Nevada roadways. After almost two years of work between RTC staff, jurisdictional stakeholders, and a private consulting firm, the study report was approved and regional Complete Streets policies were adopted. Along the way, the project management team for the study had to address numerous variables, including increasing interest among various groups, questions among engineers and homebuilders, and whether the proposed implementation steps and policies would be too costly. The study’s process to develop the end products helped address some of these variables and move the overall initiative forward.

This presentation will go over the study process, including the stakeholders involved and the special workshops and presentations done over the course of the study. The presentation will also discuss the main deliverables of the study report, which are the policies and recommended implementation steps. Finally, the presentation will discuss the next steps to the Southern Nevada Complete Streets Initiative, including a Complete Streets Design Manual, which will be based on the Model Design Manual for Living Streets (developed in Los Angeles County). Development of the Southern Nevada Complete Streets Design Manual will take place during the summer of 2012.

The overall educational objective of the presentation is to go over the study process step-by-step. This will show how a planning study unfolds within the context of regional transportation and land-use considerations. As the presenters go through the steps, the presentation will reveal the opportunities and challenges of a multimodal study and what it means for planners. Addressing the different variables and challenges on the RTC’s Complete Streets Study, for example, led to better end products for the study report and a clearer understanding on how to approach next steps. Also, going over the next steps is important because it shows that planning studies can lead to plausible implementation changes linked to a shared vision.

More

Instructors:

Philip Banea AICP

(14 Ratings)