Dr. Kelly Clifton and Dr. Kristina Currans have a long history of NITC-funded research collaboration on coordinating transportation and land development. To date, their research findings have had a transformative impact on the development of the data and methods used in transportation impact analysis (TIAs). Their work has been included in the latest edition of Institute of Transportation Engineers Trip Generation Manual (2020) and Handbook (2014), the industry standard referenced for trip generation data. They have advised the local governments of Portland, Bend, Clackamas County on their development review process and methods for assessing transportation system development charges. The State of California has considered their findings in the CEQA analysis related to climate change. This body of work has produced new knowledge and contributed to making the land development and transportation planning process more equitable, multimodal, and environmentally sustainable. 

Despite having a receptive audience among transportation planners in public agencies in major U.S. cities, there are still barriers to widespread change from traditional development review processes that privilege the automobile to new approaches that place top priority on people. One of the pervasive challenges comes from community members’ lack of understanding of the complex issues involved in TIAs and the land development process, and fears of multifamily and infill housing and increased traffic congestion. The findings from their research and others need to be more widely communicated to the public in order to broaden understanding of the problem and policy solutions. 

To that end, NITC has funded a technology transfer grant to create a series of comics to translate this research to storyform and convey difficult concepts. Learn more about Communicating Research through Comics: Transportation and Land Development led by Kelly Clifton of Portland State University and Kristi Currans of University of Arizona.