Car Country
Car Country

Author: Christopher W. Wells

Publisher: University of Washington Press

Published: 2013-05-15

Total Pages: 465

ISBN-13: 0295804475

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For most people in the United States, going almost anywhere begins with reaching for the car keys. This is true, Christopher Wells argues, because the United States is Car Country—a nation dominated by landscapes that are difficult, inconvenient, and often unsafe to navigate by those who are not sitting behind the wheel of a car. The prevalence of car-dependent landscapes seems perfectly natural to us today, but it is, in fact, a relatively new historical development. In Car Country, Wells rejects the idea that the nation's automotive status quo can be explained as a simple byproduct of an ardent love affair with the automobile. Instead, he takes readers on a tour of the evolving American landscape, charting the ways that transportation policies and land-use practices have combined to reshape nearly every element of the built environment around the easy movement of automobiles. Wells untangles the complicated relationships between automobiles and the environment, allowing readers to see the everyday world in a completely new way. The result is a history that is essential for understanding American transportation and land-use issues today. Watch the book trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48LTKOxxrXQ

Assessing and Managing the Ecological Impacts of Paved Roads
Assessing and Managing the Ecological Impacts of Paved Roads

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2006-01-22

Total Pages: 325

ISBN-13: 0309100887

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All phases of road developmentâ€"from construction and use by vehicles to maintenanceâ€"affect physical and chemical soil conditions, water flow, and air and water quality, as well as plants and animals. Roads and traffic can alter wildlife habitat, cause vehicle-related mortality, impede animal migration, and disperse nonnative pest species of plants and animals. Integrating environmental considerations into all phases of transportation is an important, evolving process. The increasing awareness of environmental issues has made road development more complex and controversial. Over the past two decades, the Federal Highway Administration and state transportation agencies have increasingly recognized the importance of the effects of transportation on the natural environment. This report provides guidance on ways to reconcile the different goals of road development and environmental conservation. It identifies the ecological effects of roads that can be evaluated in the planning, design, construction, and maintenance of roads and offers several recommendations to help better understand and manage ecological impacts of paved roads.

Handbook of Road Ecology
Handbook of Road Ecology

Author: Rodney van der Ree

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2015-06-15

Total Pages: 562

ISBN-13: 1118568184

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Winner of the IENE Project Award 2016. This authoritative volume brings together some of the world’s leading researchers, academics, practitioners and transportation agency personnel to present the current status of the ecological sustainability of the linear infrastructure – primarily road, rail and utility easements – that dissect and fragment landscapes globally. It outlines the potential impacts, demonstrates how this infrastructure is being improved, and how broad ecological principles are applied to mitigate the impact of road networks on wildlife. Research and monitoring is an important aspect of road ecology, encompassing all phases of a transportation project. This book covers research and monitoring to span the entire project continuum – starting with planning and design, through construction and into maintenance and management. It focuses on impacts and solutions for species groups and specific regions, with particular emphasis on the unique challenges facing Asia, South America and Africa. Other key features: Contributions from authors originating from over 25 countries, including from all continents Each chapter summarizes important lessons, and includes lists of further reading and thoroughly up to date references Highlights principles that address key points relevant to all phases in all road projects Explains best-practices based on a number of successful international case studies Chapters are "stand-alone", but they also build upon and complement each other; extensive cross-referencing directs the reader to relevant material elsewhere in the book Handbook of Road Ecology offers a comprehensive summary of approximately 30 years of global efforts to quantify the impacts of roads and traffic and implement effective mitigation. As such, it is essential reading for those involved in the planning, design, assessment and construction of new roads; the management and maintenance of existing roads; and the modifying or retrofitting of existing roads and problem locations. This handbook is an accessible resource for both developed and developing countries, including government transportation agencies, Government environmental/conservation agencies, NGOs, and road funding and donor organisations.

Safe Passages
Safe Passages

Author: Jon P. Beckmann

Publisher: Island Press

Published: 2012-04-20

Total Pages: 419

ISBN-13: 1597269670

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Safe Passages brings together in a single volume the latest information on the emerging science of road ecology as it relates to mitigating interactions between roads and wildlife. This practical handbook of tools and examples is designed to assist individuals and organizations thinking about or working toward reducing road-wildlife impacts. The book provides: an overview of the importance of habitat connectivity with regard to roads current planning approaches and technologies for mitigating the impacts of highways on both terrestrial and aquatic species different facets of public participation in highway-wildlife connectivity mitigation projects case studies from partnerships across North America that highlight successful on-the-ground implementation of ecological and engineering solutions recent innovative highway-wildlife mitigation developments Detailed case studies span a range of scales, from site-specific wildlife crossing structures, to statewide planning for habitat connectivity, to national legislation. Contributors explore the cooperative efforts that are emerging as a result of diverse organizations—including transportation agencies, land and wildlife management agencies, and nongovernmental organizations—finding common ground to tackle important road ecology issues and problems. Safe Passages is an important new resource for local-, state-, and national-level managers and policymakers working on road-wildlife issues, and will appeal to a broad audience including scientists, agency personnel, planners, land managers, transportation consultants, students, conservation organizations, policymakers, and citizens engaged in road-wildlife mitigation projects.

Sustainable Highways, Pavements and Materials
Sustainable Highways, Pavements and Materials

Author: Kasthurirangan Gopalakrishnan

Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform

Published: 2011-06-28

Total Pages: 296

ISBN-13: 9781530366033

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"The topic addressed in the book is very wide, and it is commendable that such a wide range of subtopics are actually covered in enough depth to make it worthwhile to read.....The approach of not only providing technical pavement information, but also relevant applicable regulatory, policy, planning and environmental information provides a good background of the topic to pavement engineers - again information that most of them would not necessarily have had access to without such a compilation of information.....Overall, I view the book as an essential addition to the literature on sustainability in pavements and trust that it will contribute to improved understanding and application of more sustainable practices in highway engineering." - Prof. Wynand JvdM Steyn, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Pretoria, South Africa ************** The worldwide increase in emphasis on sustainability and the environment necessitates a holistic examination of how highways and pavements can be designed, constructed, operated, maintained, preserved and recycled in a more economically, environmentally, and socially sound manner. Rapidly depleting natural resources, anthropogenic climate change implications and increasing financial pressures are some crucial challenges today's and tomorrow's transportation engineers are faced with. A better understanding of the art and science of sustainable highway and pavement engineering will equip them to effect positive economic, environmental, and social change while balancing competing interests. Sustainable Highways, Pavements and Materials provides introductory and yet up-to-date coverage of latest technologies, practices and initiatives related to the contemporary application of sustainability principles during all phases of a pavement's life cycle. Researchers, practitioners, educators and students with an interest in transportation infrastructure will find this book a practical reference that explores various aspects of sustainable highways and pavements, including materials, design, construction, and life-cycle analysis. Important Topics Covered: -Sustainable Transportation Initiatives -Sustainability Impacts of Highways and Pavements -Environmental Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) of Pavements -Recycled Materials and Beneficial Reuse of Industrial By-Products -Long-Life, Permeable, Quiet and Cool Pavements -Green Highway Rating Systems -Emerging Sustainable Pavement Materials and Technologies

The 30-Minute City
The 30-Minute City

Author: David M Levinson

Publisher:

Published: 2019-12-24

Total Pages: 114

ISBN-13: 9781650232096

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This book describes how to create the 30-Minute City. The first part of the book explains accessibility. We next consider access through history (chapter 2). Access is the driving force behind how cities were built. Its use today is described when looking at access and the Greater Sydney Commission's plan for Sydney.We then examine short-run fixes: things that can be done instantaneously, or nearly so, at low budget to restore access for people, which include retiming traffic signals (chapter 3) and deploying bike sharing (chapter 5) supported by protected bike lane networks (chapter 4), as well public transport timetables (chapter 6).We explore medium-run fixes that include implementing rapid bus networks (chapter 7) and configuring how people get to train stations by foot and on bus (chapter 8).We turn to longer-run fixes. These are as much policy changes as large investments, and include job/worker balance (chapter 10) and network restructuring (chapter 9) as well as urban restoration (chapter 11), suburban retrofit (chapter 12), and greenfield development (chapter 13).We conclude with thoughts about the 'pointlessness' of cities and how to restructure practice (chapter 14).The appendices provide detail on access measurement (Appendix A), the idea of accessibility loss (B), valuation (C), the rationale for the 30-minute threshold (D), and reliability (E). It concludes with what should we research (F).