1. Establish relevant best practices and the tool testing process.
2. Develop and produce Corridor Master Planning Handbook with CD-ROM for corridor management.
3. Develop and test a GIS-based visualization approach and Visualization Guide for direct and participatory design.
4. Evaluate the process, products, and outcome of project accomplishment.
5. Carry out project management, documentation, and outreach (product delivery).

A more detailed description of each major task follows.

Major Task Descriptions

Task 1: Determine Best Practices and Testing Process

The initial task involves members of the entire team and extends well into the work period of the next two major tasks. The team, through this task, will be responsible for the decision on content of the major products. The steps of this task include an assessment of best practices including regional visioning (as a part of regional planning),corridor management, flexible highway design (context sensitive design), land use development regulations, and the existing visual and visualization (computer aided) tools for physical design. A best practices seminar/workshop will be held that may include presentations from nationally recognized experts.

This task will also include the development of the tool testing process which will utilize a diverse and representative focus group of up to 20 persons. They will be enlisted for two one-day sessions. The focus group will be briefed with a corridor characterization and given sample development scenarios. Through this they will be coached on the use of the tools in conjunction with five criteria drawn from the TCSP goals. The focus group will then be presented a context sensitive design problem in a professionally facilitated setting. This design work of the focus group is expected to be completed in an intense one-day session after one or two previous briefings on the problem context and the tools. As a result of the first session the team and evaluator will consider changes to the tools and their presentation/use. The second session will benefit from selected improvements and another review will then be conducted that includes the feedback of the focus group. This information will be used to finalize the products of the following two major tasks. (This initial process description will be refined and the focus group selected as part of this task.)

Task 2: Develop a Corridor Master Planning Handbook and Companion CD-ROM

Bluegrass Tomorrow using private and public financing formed the Bluegrass Corridors Task Force to implement strategies that preserve and maintain the unique character of the region’s connecting roadways. The proposed Handbook is seen as an important step towards implementing the ideals expressed in its regional vision: Bluegrass by Design. The Bluegrass Corridors Task Force has determined that a planning handbook would be the most effective means of addressing the mobility and livability concerns facing the region and achieving the Bluegrass Regional Vision, developed by Bluegrass Tomorrow in 1993 through a broad-based community planning process. Bluegrass Tomorrow has been assisting its region in facilitating a sustainable regional vision for Central Kentucky. This vision depicts the long-term economic, environmental, social and cultural goals of the region and its constituent counties; goals sustained by the current form of development -- compact cities and town centers surrounded by greenbelts of productive farmland and rich natural areas, with good regional connections through a network of scenic roads.

The Handbook will summarize the land use/transportation planning treadmill and offer Corridor Master Planning as a means to halt the cycle. Corridor Master Planning is an innovative tool that can afford communities unique opportunities for improving the efficiency and visual quality of their roadways while eliminating the need for traditional costly improvements (roadway widening).

The Handbook will present Corridor Master Planning as a process that integrates transportation and real estate improvements for the mutual benefit of each. The increased mobility afforded by this integration will enable the region to continue to attract quality economic development while maintaining the jobs/housing balance necessary to achieve mobility, access and livability.

The five primary policy tools to accomplish such integration are:

• Community Involvement
• Capital Improvements Planning and Programming;
• Roadway Design Standards;
• Access Management Standards; and
• Land Development Guidelines and Regulations.

The purpose of a corridor master plan is to maintain the quality of both urban and inter-urban transportation corridors and to enhance the travel experience.

The maintenance of the delicate balance between accessibility, mobility and land use is the primary goal of Corridor Master Planning in the region's urban corridors. This interdependence between land use and transportation planning requires a coordinated effort at all levels in order to insure that responses to traffic problems do not denigrate the region’s urban corridors, and that land use planning does not exacerbate traffic problems and create the need for future road improvements.

The Handbook will present graphical depictions of how traditional improvements-driven planning and current development regulations result in communities designing for congestion. This undesirable cycle will be recreated using animated multimedia graphics that visually present the buildout of existing and alternative zoning and land development regulations and access management practices and their impacts on the existing transportation system. The companion CD-ROM will also include a GIS tool to evaluate and visualize the transportation consequences of alternative development patterns in urban and rural areas.

Both the urban and rural travel experience will be accomplished through the integration of the regional Geographic Information System and state-of-the-art, three-dimensional multimedia production software. This visual model of Land Use/Transportation Impacts will be a valuable tool for evaluating the effects of development proposals and traditional capacity improvements. The Handbook will also offer visual examples, conceptual and real world, of successful corridor management program implementation. The visual examples will be produced as an animated multi-media presentation for the CD-ROM version of the Handbook. A flow-charted, public involvement process will be included in the Handbook to identify priority corridors that will benefit from corridor master planning.

Task 3: Develop and Test a GIS-Based Visualization Approach and Accompanying Visualization Guide

This task is composed of two parallel and integrated processes:

• Develop and customize a GIS (Geographic Information Systems)-based visualization software that can be used to translate either local or regional inputs into useful graphical information for the use of citizens and decision-makers employing multiple-criteria analysis techniques.

• Develop appropriate techniques for engaging a typical citizen’s group in a participatory design process by capturing and translating the inputs and reactions of a diverse group using the Visualization Guide and software.

Develop and customize a GIS (Geographic Information Systems)-based visualization software.

This step will develop two related types of graphics-enhanced software. The first will be for regional-scale information such as demographics, land use, soil type, zoning, transportation networks, or environmental features, industry standard GIS software will be used to as to maximize the utility of the tools to future users. Within these software, customized routines and applications will be developed to translate the most important and relevant information into two- or three-dimensional representations for purposes of clarifying the meaning and outcomes of particular regional-scale information sources or decisions. Two-dimensional representations are generally best for interpreting data such as land use or transportation networks. Conversely, representing factors such as housing developments with particular lot sizes, riparian basins, or demographics may be more effective if it is available to a design group in three dimensional formats.

This process also provides opportunities for quantitative analysis of outcomes relative to the five TCSP goals. By maintaining the necessary information in a GIS, it is readily available to the team for project purposes.

Secondly, "3-D" or visualization softwares will be used to portray:

• topography
• vegetative cover
• transportation infrastructure
• the built environment, and
• proposals about new features on the landscape.

These elements will be rendered in realistic-appearing scenes through which viewing position, time of day or year, and other standard environmental factors may be altered. The primary focus of this component will be to develop flexible and user-friendly applications that can produce realistic representations of landscape features, old or new, and accommodate a wide range of potential designs and approaches. This will result in software that is more robust and widely useful under a variety of planning philosophies and approaches. Users will be able to simulate the experience of viewing the landscape from a transportation structure, or alternatively viewing the transportation infrastructure itself, either from ground level or from "bird’s eye" or "fly through" perspectives, should those prove useful. Roadway design options such as lanes, width, slope, and curvature can be envisioned to enable the best possible design aesthetic for any type of transportation infrastructure.

Develop appropriate techniques for engaging a typical citizen's group in a participatory design process.

The final step associated with the production of these linked sets of tools is the development of a Visualization Guide for their use. The Visualization Guide will consist of two parts:

• A user’s guide for the GIS and visualization softwares, and
• A facilitator’s guide to the methods of engaging a group in participatory design through the use of the softwares. This second section will include tools for the solicitation and organization of design decisions from a group working in concert with the visualization tools.

Existing facilitation practice and theory is aimed at ensuring broad-based participation in the creation and pursuit of jointly-held and actionable images. These images may be fairly complex and comprehensive, but are limited in that they appear "transparent" or acquire multiple interpretations even under conditions of supposed agreement. Translating this seeming agreement into a corporeal entity thus becomes problematic, in that the final product consists of an unanticipated compromise of multiple images. The facilitator’s guide will be an innovative approach that fuses existing group facilitation approaches with the potential offered by visualization softwares to synthesize and represent those design ideas in a virtual manner so that participants may better understand the nature of their shared images.

The Visualization Guide can then be understood as a strategy for the accommodation, representation, and refining of planning decisions initiated through the use of the principles and approaches outlined in the Corridor Master Planning Handbook. It will be especially concerned with optimizing the capture and organization of the collective knowledge of the focus group tasked with the design problems and informed by the Corridor Master Planning Handbook. This set of issues is significant especially in the frequent situation of disagreement within a group, even with a set of standard guidelines, for the reasons listed noted above. The Visualization Guide will enable a wide range of visualization exercises to be conducted to aid a community in developing a jointly-held vision of its future image.

Task 4: Evaluate Process, Product, and Outcome

The very initial step of the project will be to complete the evaluation plan (the preliminary project evaluation plan is presented in Section 7 of this proposal). This work will include: review of the overall goal/objectives; establishing sub-objectives to provide direction for the evaluation effort; setting performance measures; and describing the quantitative and qualitative techniques that will be employed. An independent evaluator will work with the team to facilitate the final evaluation plan. Data will be collected periodically by team members/staff at the direction of and under the supervision of the evaluator. The evaluation will focus on the process used, the products developed, and the outcome expected. The evaluator will be responsible for preparing a evaluation draft report and the final report. The draft evaluation report will be reviewed by the team and others as selected. Interim findings specifically relating to the process and the products will be reported to the team/staff to allow for the possibility of corrective action during the conduct of the project.

Task 5: Project Management, Documentation, and Outreach

Project management will be carried out by the management team, chaired by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. Each participating partner will have representation on the management team and the designated independent evaluator will be an ex officio member of the team. Other observer/participants may be invited to assure awareness and coordination. Bi-monthly progress updates will be mandated along with quarterly reviews. The chair for the team will assure that the progress updates and reviews are accomplished. Any corrective action or special coordination will be the responsibility of the team members affected. They are responsible for keeping their project partner/staff informed. These management activities will be carried out for the duration of the project. An education strategy along with product delivery techniques will be developed by the partners and coordinated by the project team. All project product documentation will be directed, coordinated, and quality assured through the activities of this task. The management team will be responsible for assuring the adequacy of all documentation and the chair may solicit review beyond the project team. Coordinating all project outreach and education will be the responsibility of the project team working with local groups and agencies.

Coordination

The project management team is responsible for maintaining internal coordination among the various project tasks and activities as well as among project deliverables. External coordination will be facilitated by keeping potentially interested groups/agencies informed regarding the project's intent and progress. As an example the Lexington Area MPO will be invited along with the FHWA to be represented on the project management team. Other groups/agencies including the non-traditional will be offered periodic briefings.

Section 4. Partners

The Project Team

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KyTC) will be the senior managing partner for this project. With a specific interest in the issues facing the Bluegrass region, and similar responsibilities across other areas of the Commonwealth, KyTC will be providing strategic guidance for the other partners in the development, integration, and production of the tools.

Founded in 1989, Bluegrass Tomorrow (BT) is a privately funded regional civic organization supported by local individual and corporate leaders, including the region’s largest employers: Toyota, Bank One, Valvoline and Lexmark. Bluegrass Tomorrow seeks to unite the efforts of public, private and corporate citizens of the seven-county metropolitan area in regional solutions that will enable the seven central Bluegrass counties to build a strong and efficient economy which respects the tradition of livable and distinct communities, connected by a network of road corridors, which are surrounded by beautiful green belts of productive farmland and rich natural areas.

The University of Kentucky Transportation Center (UKTC) has long concerned itself with the development of creative strategies for the improvement of the transportation system in Kentucky. In this project the Center is especially interested in creatively engaging in a dialogue that explicitly incorporates cross-cutting goals, all of which improve the quality of life for residents of the Commonwealth. The Center has dedicated GIS staff and computer capabilities for converting, automating and representing information and ideas regarding the study area. The staff includes experienced professional planners, geographers, engineers, policy analysts and facilitators familiar with the issues associated with public infrastructure questions and the techniques for engaging a diverse audience in participatory processes.

The Bluegrass Area Development District (BADD) is one of the Commonwealth of Kentucky ‘s 15 Area Development Districts. The Bluegrass ADD brings extensive experience and knowledge regarding the background and history of the bluegrass area, in terms of economic development, demographics, and infrastructure development. Bluegrass ADD will contribute significant insights to the appropriate construction of the focus group for purposes of testing the tools to be developed.

Involvement/Education Plans

As described elsewhere both non-traditional and traditional groups/agencies will be involved in this project. State and MPO transportation planning officials and professional staff will be involved to assure coordination. A diverse and representative focus group will be utilized in the visualization tool development and testing process. A wide variety of persons will be invited to the workshops planned to demonstrate the use of the handbook/CD-ROM.

Section 5. Schedule

Major Steps in the Project

This project will include five major tasks with specified activities and steps. These are more fully described in Section 3. The proposed task schedule shown on the next page anticipates an 18 month project that will begin with the receipt of the funding agreement. Milestones are shown for each major task and relate directly to the activities/steps necessary to complete the work of the project. Task 5 includes the project management activities that have a series of repetitive milestones for progress reporting and management review. In addition, Task 5 includes milestones for project documentation and outreach activities.

Project Milestones

The project milestones are shown when due on the appropriate task timeline and are identified by the key on the next page. Below each milestone is also listed by task for reference.

Task 1-Determine Best Practices and Testing Process

1) Best Practices Report
2) Best Practices Workshop
3) Tool Testing Process Description
4) Focus Group Selection

Task 2-Develop Corridor Master Planning Handbook & Companion CD-ROM

5) Draft Corridor Master Planning Handbook
6) CD-ROM Companion (alpha test)
7) CD-ROM Companion (beta version)
8) Workshops Initiated to Present Handbook

Task 3-Develop GIS-Based Visualization Approach & Visualization Guide

9) Focus Group Briefing
10) Introduction of Draft Tools to the Focus Group (feedbacKB)
11) Draft Visualization Guide
12) Focus Group Work Session and Debriefing (possible iteration)

Task 4-Evaluate Process, Products, & Outcome

13) Evaluation Plan
14) Evaluation Report

Task 5-Project Management, Documentation, & Outreach

15) Progress Reports (bi-monthly)
16) Management Team Project Reviews (quarterly)
17) Corridor Master Planning Handbook
18) Visualization Guide
19) Education Strategy
20) Product Dissemination

Proposed Task Schedule and Milestones

	Months from Funding Agreement
Task	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18
Task 1 Best Practices and Process			1	2	3	4
Task 2 Corridor Planning Handbook						5			6		7		8
Task 3 Visualization Guide						9		10	11		12
Task 4 Project Evaluation		13																14
Task 5 Management and Outreach		15	16	15		15,16		15	16	15	19	15,16,17,20		15	16,18	15	20	15,16

Milestones
1 "Best Practices" Report
2 Best Practices Workshop
3 Tool Testing Process Description
4 Focus Group Selection
5 Draft Corridor Master Planning Handbook
6 CD-ROM Companion (alpha version)
7 CD-ROM Companion (beta version)
8 Workshops Initiated to Present Handbook
9 Focus Group Briefing
10 Introduction of Draft Tools to the Focus Group (feedbacKB)
11 Draft Visualization Guide
12 Focus Group Work Session 1 and Debriefing
13 Evaluation Plan
14 Evaluation Report
15 Progress Reports (monthly)
16 Management Team Project Reviews (quarterly)
17 Corridor Master Planning Handbook
18 Visualization Guide
19 Education Strategy
20 Product Dissemination

Section 6. Budget and Resources

Funding Sources/Amounts
FHWA (TCSP Program) Grant	$525,000
University of Kentucky Cost Sharing	38,000
Bluegrass Tomorrow, Inc. In-Kind Contribution	25,000
National Park Service In-Kind Contribution	5,000
Bluegrass Partners In-Kind Contribution	3,000
Project Total Cost (All Sources)	$596,000

Grant Project Costs by Major Task/Team Member
	BT	BADD	UKTC
Task 1 Best Practices/Testing	20,000	15,000	20,000
Task 2 Handbook of Guidelines	230,000	-0-	-0-
Task 3 Visualization Approach	-0-	-0-	165,000
Task 4 Evaluate Performance	-0-	-0-	35,000
Task 5 Management/Outreach	15,000	5,000	20,000
Project Sub-Totals	265,000	20,000	240,000
Grant Project Total $525,000

Project Costs by Expense Category and Source Allocation
	Funding Source
Direct Costs	Grant	Other
Personnel Costs
Professional	317,500	28,000
Technical and Support	85,000	5,000
Services	10,000	-0-
Operating Expenses
Travel	13,500	-0-
Communication/Computing	6,600	-0-
Printing and Duplicating	7,200	-0-
Materials and Postage	5,300	-0-
Rental Fees (Space and Equipment)	9,500
Equipment Purchase
Computer & Projector	8,000	-0-
Direct Cost Sub-Totals	462,600	33,000
Indirect Costs (applied to UKTC work only)	62,400	38,000
Total Costs by Source	525,000	71,000
Project Total Cost	$596,000

Section 7. Project Evaluation Plan (Preliminary)

Background

This project will employ a systematic evaluation approach using appropriate techniques throughout the project. The evaluation effort will focus on the project process, product(s), and outcomes. The project description, purpose (goal) of this project, the objectives, and major tasks stated previously in this proposal answer these questions: (a) What is the motivation for undertaking this project? and (b) What is the project intended to accomplish? The final evaluation plan will include this material, but for brevity it is not repeated here. A report will be prepared to include the evaluation findings at the conclusion of the project.

The team will include a qualified person to serve as an independent evaluator. When the grant notification is received the final evaluation plan will be prepared by the evaluator, working with the entire project team. The University staff that will be responsible for evaluation has had significant public project/program evaluation experience, especially related to transportation and the analysis of public policy initiatives. The independent evaluator (assigned to the project from the UK Martin School of Public Administration as adjunct staff of the UKTC) will periodically brief the team during the project. Interim findings during the various stages of the project will be used to refine process iterations and product development. Major Task 4 of the proposal, described in Section 3, is devoted to the steps and activities as outlined in this initial plan. The budget shown in Section 6 indicates the extent of project resources designated for evaluation.

Evaluation Steps

The steps in developing the evaluation plan as outlined in the TCSP guidance document include:

Defining Project Goals and Objectives. The high level project goals have been developed as part of the proposal. They will be reviewed and supplemented with sub-objectives to facilitate and target the evaluation effort as considered appropriate by the project management team and evaluator. Their complete documentation will be found in the evaluation plan to be developed immediately after notification of the award. Initial sub-objectives to focus the evaluation are as follows:

Process (sub-objectives) [see corresponding process performance measures for these sub-objectives, also underlined, below]

a. Involvement of non-traditional partners with focus group being diverse and representative

b. Broadens scope and impact of planning process, particularly corridor planning in a regional context, to integrate concerns regarding transportation, community preservation, and the environment

c. Achieves stakeholder commitment and community consensus

d. Leads to learning and innovation through the use of visualization tools

Product(s) (sub-objective accomplishment questions)

Answers to the following questions regarding the product will serve as an interim step in identifying likely outcomes/impacts:

• How does the product(s) compare to original intent?
• What did the product(s) accomplish?
• How does the product speak to overall project objectives and TCSP program objectives?
• To whom does the product(s) matter?
• What was learned that wasn't already known?
• How can the lessons learned be extended to other situations?

Identifying Performance Measures. Some of the performance measures are listed below. A complete list will be included in the evaluation plan.

Process (performance measures) The following were selected to correspond to the process sub-objectives (listed above and also underlined):

1. Number and types of groups involved or represented
2. Number/type of interests; elements that consider land use, community preservation, environment, economic development, equity, etc.]
3. Endorsement of results by participants (focus group)
4. New approaches and/or innovative ideas generated

Product(s) Performance measures for the products will include:

1. Process(tools) of use and are supportive of and consistent with statewide and local planning processes
2. Contributes to alleviation of priority area transportation and related problems (re: 20 year plan and any "visioning")
3. Includes performance indicators relating to transportation, etc.
4. Includes public involvement consistent with federal guidelines

Outcome Measuring outcome is a challenge for this type of project. However, a series of qualitative assessment techniques will serve as proxies to indicate the extent of probable success. In this instance a focus group is the primary technique supplemented with interviews, surveys (workshops), facilitated project team reviews, and anecdotal evidence.

Identifying Data Sources and Evaluation Methods. The final evaluation plan is to be prepared as the initial step for Task 4 and will identify the data sources for each performance measure and describe the evaluation methods/techniques that will be employed. These will include qualitative and verifiable survey methods and on occasion anecdotal information.

Evaluation Focus

The evaluation will focus on process, product(s), and outcome as noted above. Individual work tasks relating to this focus will be included in the final evaluation plan. This project is unique in that it defines non-traditional interests and brings them together in a diverse and representative group setting through a visualization process that tests participatory design consensus utilizing trade-off analysis. This project has the outcome potential of combining graphic communication, computer visualization, group facilitation, and decision science to improve the planning and design process. Bringing non-traditional thinking into a systematic and open process through the innovative use of information science and technology may provide some improved ability to reduce acrimony and build consensus. The danger may be that this only makes the (traditional vs. non-traditional) differences clearer and more polarized. Ideally the process and tools will promote creative problem solving and discourage strategic antagonistic behaviors. This evaluation will give us some indication of the potential for the fusion of these tools and techniques to realize greater agreement on outcomes that support the TCSP goals.

Evaluation Report

The Evaluation Report will be made available to interested individuals, groups, and agencies (including Kentucky MPOs and Area Development Districts). It will also receive internet posting on the University of Kentucky Transportation Center web site along with project product abstracts and other project summary materials.

---

[ Previous Page | TCSP Home ]

TCSP Home | FHWA Home | Feedback | Privacy Notice | Site Map Federal Highway Administration - United States Department of Transportation