Citizens for Appropriate
Transportation (CAT)
The
Eisenhower Transportation Corridor
CONTEXT-SENSITIVE
DESIGN – DESIGNING WITH THE COMMUNITY
What is Context Sensitive Design?
Context Sensitive Design (CSD) is a
philosophy of transportation planning which recognizes that transportation has
wide societal impacts. It is a
collaborative approach to developing transportation facilities that fit their
physical settings, and preserve neighborhood, recreation, scenic, aesthetic, historic and environmental resources, while maintaining
safety and mobility.
Efficient
movement of vehicles was the primary concern of designers during the era of
interstate highway design; aesthetics and environmental issues were discounted, and community involvement was not
encouraged. Despite this outlook, in the
1950’s the Village of Oak Park was able to influence the design of the
Eisenhower Expressway. Three compromises
were negotiated with the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT),
including pushing the roadway below grade; keeping the corridor narrower by
using center on/off ramps instead of side ramps at Austin and Harlem; and
designing for a future ramp, should it be needed, at East Avenue instead of
putting one in at the outset.
As the era that introduced the interstate
highway system passes, we are seeing throughout the country a heightened
expectation that designers consider the impact of transportation facilities on
the communities they serve. The impetus
has come from the bottom up, with the affected communities demanding more
participation in transportation decisions.
Transportation systems shape the urban environment,
affecting community cohesion, land use, environmental quality and the overall
quality of life in a community.
Transportation decisions cannot be separated
from community values and public policy.
The point of CSD is to satisfy not just the user of the road, but also
the community it impacts. A roadway must be safe for both the user and
the community; be in harmony with the community; and preserve environmental,
scenic, aesthetic, historic, and natural resource values of the area. It should cause minimal disruption and add lasting
value to the community.
Design issues to consider in CSD are of
course location-specific. Some
considerations for the Ike Corridor are:
§ Control
of noise, fumes, and particulate pollution:
If the road were dropped further below grade,
could these problems be ameliorated?
§ Continuity
of communities split by the Ike: Should there be more bridges? Should the bridges be wider, and include bike
lanes, planters and seating? Can the
bridges have more aesthetic appeal?
§ Aesthetics
of other built elements, such as sound barriers and retaining walls: Could there be “green walls”, or walls on
which plant materials thrive?
§ Use
of natural features, such as embankments, site grading and planting
materials: Can landscaping increase
aesthetic appeal, while helping to control pollution?
§ Width
of the right-of-way: If the corridor were to be widened,
what features might be lost? At a
minimum, landscape embankments might be replaced by
retaining walls. How would
houses and other structures be affected, especially at the
intersections?
§ Access
to the CTA: Can safer
pedestrian paths to the stations be provided?
§ Preservation
of historic features, such as the Oak Park Conservatory, Columbus Park and the Maze Library:
What assets are important to the community?
Community involvement is an absolutely critical factor for achieving CSD. To be most effective, citizens must be
involved early in the process, so their input can be garnered
before design begins. (See Issues
Brief 8, February 2003, “Citizen Participation”) Ideally, consensus on the problem definition
is reached at the outset, so as to reach consensus on
the final design. The designer should
address community issues before doing any engineering, and employ a process
that examines multiple alternatives. In
the case of the Eisenhower, design has begun without much citizen input. However, the Regional Transportation
Authority (RTA) is developing a Multi-Modal Study that includes the Ike. The RTA should solicit meaningful citizen
input, and consider forming one or more citizen advisory boards. This will allow citizens to examine which
transportation alternatives best meet user needs, while minimizing negative
impact on the community.
Those who control the process control the
outcome; plans for the Eisenhower Corridor should not be
controlled exclusively by IDOT but can and must be influenced by
citizens. While the Eisenhower serves a
constituency of people who are going somewhere, it also traverses a community
of people who already are somewhere.
The right to shape
our community comes with a responsibility, to have a vision for what we want
this place to be. This vision will allow
for constructive input into transportation planning—neither an obstructionist
outlook, nor simple acquiescence to planners’ proposals. The community must also see to it that all
stakeholders are involved in the process, a task we can’t
leave to the transportation agencies.
Joan L. Suchomel – April 2003
CAT
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