I have found the Florida Internet Center for Understanding Sustainability to be a good resource.
The Sierra Club has a lot of links for highway and sprawl problems. A good starting place is Highway and Sprawlbusters page.
The main Sierra Club page and their sprawl info section contains lots of information and details on how to deal with this issue.
Some references on traffic calming/roundabout application and design A roundabout way of resolving Midtown problem. This Palo Alto Weekly op-ed piece by Patrick Siegman examines the potential of roundabouts for converting a four-lane road to two lanes, as a means of revitalizing a run-down neighborhood shopping strip.
"Roundabouts: A Direct Way to Safer Highways." On this site is the full text of a useful article published in the Public Roads magazine. This article takes a look at roundabout accident experience in the United States and some European countries for roundabouts constructed since 1990. The article provides some general information about the characteristics of modern roundabouts and their rapid adoption in Europe. The safety advantages of roundabouts are documented with statistics from several nations.
Some Portland sites:
1000 Friends of Oregon is the statewide watchdog organization working to protect farm and forest lands by promoting livable communities, transportation alternatives and community involvement. www.friends.org
Metro is the Portland area regional government responsible for transportation and growth management planning. www.metro.dst.or.us
Oregon's Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) is the state agency responsible for administering Oregon's statewide land use goals and laws.
"Roundabout Traffic Control Information Center." This Web site created and maintained by the University of Florida Transportation Research Center in cooperation with the Florida DOT contains a variety of roundabout information.
"Montpelier's Modern Roundabout At Keck Circle: Neighborhood Opinion Survey." This paper chronicles the political and institutional history of the Keck Circle Roundabout, summarizes accident experience since conversion, and presents the results of a neighborhood survey.
Ourston & Doctors on Modern Roundabout Interchanges. This site maintained by a Santa Barbara-based consulting firm includes an order form listing videos and publications that are available for purchase.
Transportation for Liveable Communities Network
more traffic calming links
The Portland Office of Transportation's Traffic Calming Program web page features reports, procedures, on-going research, descriptions of traffic calming devices and city policies. For traffic circles, look to:
CITY OF PORTLAND: PEER REVIEW ANALYSIS of the TRAFFIC CIRCLE PROGRAM Prepared by Kittelson & Associates, Inc, 1991. "The results of this peer review study have clearly demonstrated that overall these traffic circles are successful at reducing the number of vehicles traveling at high speeds (30-35 mph) on residential streets. On many of these residential streets, 15 percent or more of the vehicles routinely exceeded 35 mph. After traffic circles were installed, vehicles rarely exceed 35 mph. The new larger circles (12 foot radius) appear to reduce vehicle speeds more than smaller traffic circle islands.
Moreover, this peer review analysis found that traffic circles have dramatically reduced, if not almost eliminated, reported accidents, especially multi-vehicle collisions. Overall, once traffic circle were installed the monthly rate of reported accidents decreased by 58 percent. For comparison, a special analysis of "control" intersections that are nearby the intersections that had traffic circles installed was conducted to verify that this reduction in accidents could not be attributed to other extraneous factors. This analysis found that during the same period that reported accidents dramatically decreased at intersections with traffic circles, reported accidents increased 6 percent at these nearby control intersection. It should be also noted that traffic volumes at intersections with traffic circles did not significantly change once the circle was installed."
1996 ITE District 6 Neighborhood Traffic Management Survey. "Findings from the 1996 Neighborhood Traffic Management (NTM) and the Traffic Signal Maintenance and Design Survey have been prepared by Randy McCourt,ITE District 6 Technical Chair." An Excel file of the survey results (titled ntm.xls) can be downloaded from this page. It contains the names and telephone numbers of traffic engineers in cities using various traffic calming devices, including over 30 which report using traffic circles.
"Slow Down, You're Going Too Fast: The Community Guide to Traffic Calming" is a collection of stories from municipalities nationwide. (Summary Study comparing "sprawl" development with "traditional town" or "town and country" type development.
Search for references to traditional Neighborhood design
1. PreserveNet:
Traditional Neighborhood Design/New Urbanism
Rather than shopping centers, office parks, industrial parks, and housing
developments, we need old- fashioned neighborhoods, where people can walk.
This page lists groups working
http://www.preservenet.com/politics/NewUrb.html
2. NMG ⋅ ⋅ ⋅
Techniques in Traditional Neighborhood Development
Techniques in Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND) offers an
unprecedented opportunity to hear and see the successful methods and
results of TND in a series of lectures by
http://www.hpix.com/nmg
3. http://www.review.ci.austin.tx.us/tnd/tnd_ord_toc.html
TRADITIONAL NEIGHBORHOOD DISTRICT LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE PROVISIONS GENERAL
PROVISIONS SCOPE OF CHAPTER. PURPOSE AND DESIGN OVERVIEW DEFINITIONS LAND
DEVELOPMENT CODE APPLICABILITY
http://www.review.ci.austin.tx.us/tnd/tnd_ord_toc.html
4. Broken Top Living
- Traditional Single Family Neighborhoods
Broken Top offers maintenance free homes and private golf on a course
designed by Weiskopf and Morrish in Central Oregon.
http://www.brokentop.com/pages/neighborhoods.html
5. UDA
- NeoClassic Trends in Residential Design
Architectural Library of Award Winning Ideal Home Plans, Custom Plan
Studios, Plan Modifications and an Idea Workshop with Design Advice from
industry experts for builders and
http://www.uniteddesign.com/neoclassic_trends.html
6. Kinnelon Commons, a
traditional neighborhood development in Kinnelon, New
A neo-traditional town center designed as an infill project located
adjacent to the commercial corridors of a predominentely residential
community in Kinnelon, New Jersey. The
http://www.kincom.com/main.html
7. Neighborhood &
Planning Resources
There are some very interesting places on the web that deal with
neighborhoods, sustainable growth and preservation. Below I have listed a
few links to some pages that are all
http://www.iglobal.net/mayhouse/Planning.html
8. Urban
Design
Community designers and vision planners serving a diverse body of clients,
ranging from municipal, county, and state agencies to land developers.
Allen L. Kracower & Associates,
http://www.cannylink.com/architectureurbandesign.htm
9. Kinnelon Commons,
a traditional neighborhood development in Kinnelon, New
A neo-traditional town center designed as an infill project located
adjacent to the commercial corridors of a predominentely residential
community in Kinnelon, New Jersey. The
http://www.kincom.com/presstop.html
It's interesting that Builder Magazine takes a more aggressive stance against sprawl then we do!
An interesting antisprawl newsletter.
And for more fun check out the eyesore of the month
A virtual bulletin board to discuss NIMBYs & LULUs (from SUNY Buffalo)
Tough growth management here? Aspen requires you to get permits before modifying your kitchen cabinets! (yikes):
A magazine with a section called "Planners from Hell"
And the ever popular EBI Environmental Bureau of Investigation. "They Pollute, We Prosecute".
Excellent state growth management program
And their brochure on Sprawl.
And of course the classic Bank of America Study: Beyond
Sprawl: New Patters of Growth to Fit the New California.