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October 2005
Workshop shares challenges for context sensitive design
Tom Warne
Gloria Jeff
Dave Ekern
Dwight Horne
Since the 1960s, the American public has been clear about its attitude toward transportation projects: context matters. External stakeholders "expect more, better and quicker, within budget—and with their approval," said Scott Bradley, Mn/DOT landscape architecture chief, at the Midwest Region Context Sensitive Design and Solutions (CSD&S) Workshop, held August 24–26 in Minneapolis.
CTS hosted the workshop for sponsors Mn/DOT and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Minnesota is one of five pilot states originally selected by the FHWA to advance CSD&S initiatives; as part of this work, the Minnesota Local Technical Assistance Program (housed within CTS) has offered several sessions of CSD&S training in recent years.
Opening remarks for the workshop were provided by Robert Johns, CTS director; Doug Differt, Mn/DOT deputy commissioner; and Tom Sorel, FHWA Minnesota division administrator.
CSD&S, explained Bradley, chair of the conference planning committee, "is about advancing the objectives of safety and mobility with preservation and enhancement of aesthetic, historical, environmental, and community values…reflecting societal values in our public works."
Many of the presentations at the workshop—titled "Overcoming Roadblocks to Project Excellence"—reflected the challenge of integrating CSD&S philosophies and principles into transportation improvement processes. Keynote speaker James Charlier, president of Charlier Associates Inc., shared examples of projects from across the country that redefine excellence—and some that don't. He also offered three proposals for the future:
- Transportation should be about building communities, not facilities.
- Energy prices will soon change everything we are doing.
- Engineers could be leading the way, but aren't.
"We build too much for travel and too little for circulation and access," Charlier added. "Good circulation and access are far more important to cities and towns than travel capacity."
Other speakers corrected several CSD&S misconceptions: that it is mainly applied in urban settings, raises project costs, and compromises safety. Craig Churchward of HNTB Corporation (a platinum sponsor of the workshop) explained how CSD&S was used in the controversial redesign of Washington County State Aid Highway 21, a rural road through a state park with an accident rate about three times the state average. "Many times we hear that CSD costs money," Churchward said, "but it's more likely that a CSD solution can cost less and can be constructed more quickly, too." The new design is cheaper than originally planned, he said, and "accidents are down dramatically."
The conference also featured four presentations by University of Minnesota researchers:
- Joyce Weinsheimer, Center for Teaching and Learning Services with the Office of Human Resources, presented a session titled "Enhancing Your Teaching Skills."
- Bill Gartner, Department of Applied Economics, was one of three speakers in a session titled "Addressing the Costs of Design Aesthetics by Measuring the Benefits." He presented his research into the attributes and amenities of highway systems important to tourists (see CTS Research for more).
- Lance Neckar, Department of Landscape Architecture, joined two other faculty in looking at how to integrate CSD&S into university curricula.
- Kathleen Harder, Center for Sustainable Building Research, was one of three presenters who discussed new tools in the CSD&S "toolbox." Her talk highlighted visualization and simulation in CSD&S research, citing examples of traffic-calming ideas in Minneapolis and a rural intersection in Goodhue County.
The workshop closed with a general session titled "Integrating CSD&S as an Underlying Principle of Excellence—A Conversation." Moderated by Tom Warne, former AASHTO president, the session featured three speakers: Gloria Jeff, director of the Michigan DOT; Dave Ekern, director of the Idaho DOT; and Dwight Horne, director of the FHWA Office of Program Administration.
CSD&S is "an integral part of the Michigan DOT's efforts," Jeff declared. Investing time early through CSD&S can save time and money in the long run, she said, and provides an opportunity to forge partnerships, attain a higher level of community satisfaction, and create projects that better fit their social and natural environments.
"FHWA," Horne said, "wants [CSD&S] to become a way of thinking, not an afterthought," in an integrated and open process.
To Ekern, education is a key component of CSD&S integration. "We cannot rely strictly on after-education to instill CSD&S principles," he said. "The challenge to university systems is making room [for this training] and understanding…that this is how you approach the public works of the 21st century."
The three speakers also offered ideas for advancing the use of CSD&S, such as rewarding innovation and risk taking, granting design exceptions, and finding champions within an organization.
The workshop planning committee included Gina Baas and Jim Grothaus from CTS and Lori Graven and Julie Grazier of the College of Continuing Education. Baas also served as a session moderator.
Powerpoints of many of the presentations are on the CSD&S Workshop page.