ABSTRACT
Transportation systems form the circulatory system of a city or region and connect that city or region to the outside world. Transportation systems are one of the most important factors in creating urban form. Local governments and regional planning agencies often overlook air transportation because airports are often controlled by separate airport authorities that do their planning and development in conjunction with the Federal Aviation Administration. Planners have recognized that transportation modes vary enormously in their financial costs, the built environment patterns they help create, their consumption of energy, and the impacts on air and water quality and greenhouse gas emissions. The funding of transportation enhancement projects and alternative transportation modes can encourage context-sensitive development. Context-sensitive highway design is needed to integrate transportation systems into the natural and built environments. Transportation systems go far toward influencing the land-use patterns and environmental quality of a community and region.
