S. Barnum

DSPL 7686

Exercise/Assignment ? – The Research Question and Supporting Materials

Research Question: Since the advent of the Defense Highway Act (1941), what are the major forces which have shaped the design of non-urban transportation projects in the U.S.?

· Definition of terms will be essential

o Transportation project planning is not synonymous with transportation planning

o Ecology/Environment will be discussed in terms of the natural, not the built environment.

· A very brief history of road building prior to 1940 will be presented.

· The changing role of ecological considerations will receive special emphasis.

· Comparisons to urban transportation planning/design will be made as useful, especially were legislation had similar or different effects in the two realms.

Possible Titles

1. The History of Non-Urban Transportation Project Design in the United States

This title clearly defines the topic I will be addressing. However, it implies that the paper is a history, not an analysis. This is also not a very eye-catching title.

2. A History of Ecological Considerations in American Highway Design

This title is snappier, but since I present analysis as well as history, it is a bit misleading. Also, it does not convey that I am primarily interested non-urban highways.

3. History and Analysis of Ecological Considerations in American Highway Design

This title is a variant of #2 and is more precise, but is also starting to be long and sort of dull.

4. The Changing Role of Ecology in Highway Design

Although this is not a very precise title, it is very eye-catching. Ecology and highways do not intuitively go together and a reader should be intrigued to check out the article. Both history and analysis are implied by because the title conveys that I will be examining change.

Keywords

highway, design, ecology, history

Abstract

Prior to the advent of the automobile, road building in the U.S. was primarily carried out locally. Travel speeds were low and goods and services were not expected to travel great distances overland. Roads were placed in locations which connected settlements and where the landform made it easiest to travel. The auto’s ability to rapidly travel long distances created the potential for a completely different road system, as travel was no longer restricted to local movements, and native landform created unsuitable conditions for high-speed travel in many locations. The growth of regional travel and the increasing expense of road construction shifted road-building from local to state and federal auspices, and initial federal highway construction legislation was concerned exclusively with creating an extensive, efficient road system to connect the entire U.S. Not until the1960s were the downside of highways recognized. Beginning in the 1970s highway design began to be shaped by environmental considerations.