1.1. Brief History of Context-Sensitive Design (CSD)
Context-Sensitive Design (CSD) is a revolutionary change from a tradition of focusing almost exclusively on engineering to an approach that balances safety and mobility with a community’s values and environmental preservation. The history of CSD, as shown in the timeline below, is relatively recent:
1991 - The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) plants the “seeds of change” for CSD. This legislation emphasizes that, in addition to being safe, projects should be sensitive to their surrounding environment, especially in scenic or historic areas and increase public involvement by collaborating with local communities.
1995 - The National Highway System Designation Act is enacted. The planning and design guidelines state that designs may take into account: the constructed and natural environment of the area; impacts of the project upon environmental, scenic, aesthetic, historic, community and preservation interests; and access for other modes of transportation.
1997 - The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), in cooperation with the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), publishes Flexibility in Highway Design, which identifies and explains ways to reduce the impact of transportation projects on environment by using use the range of acceptable design guidelines.
1998 - The Maryland Department of Transportation, State Highway Administration conducts Thinking Beyond the Pavement: National Workshop on Integrating Highway Development with Communities and the Environment While Maintaining Safety and Performance.
1998 – Subsequent to the Thinking Beyond the Pavement conference, FHWA selects five pilot states to implement the CSD approach and to share their experiences with the States within their region: Connecticut, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, and Utah. Additional details on the FHWA CSD Pilot program can be found online at: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/csd/states.htm
1999 – The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) hosts a national Context-Sensitive Highway Design Workshop in Reston, Virginia, which heightened awareness and increased understanding of those working in context-sensitive design.
2003 - Project for Public Spaces is commissioned by FHWA to work with key stakeholders in the transportation field to create www.contextsensitivesolutions.org, an online resource to facilitate the integration CSS in the project development process.
2004 - Transportation Research Board (TRB) publishes Context-Sensitive Design Around the Country, providing examples of CSD implementation throughout the United States.
TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) publishes Performance Measures for Context-Sensitive Solutions - A Guidebook for State DOTs.
The Center for Transportation and the Environment at North Carolina State University holds a nationally televised broadcast Context-Sensitive Solutions in Transportation: A Better Way.
2005 – In response to this national initiative and awareness, GDOT is taking additional proactive steps to incorporate CSS principles into the Department’s project development process. CSS/CSD workshops and this Online Manual are steps in that direction.
