Community Impact Mitigation: Case Studies
May 1998
Introduction
In 1969, Congress passed the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which
requires the Federal Government, in cooperation with State and local governments
and other concerned public and private organizations, to use all practicable
means and measures to create and maintain conditions under which man and nature
can exist in productive harmony and fulfill the social, economic, and other
requirements of present and future generations of Americans.
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Since 1970, the Federal-aid Highway Program has required full consideration
of possible adverse social, economic, and environmental effects during project
planning, development, and decisionmaking. Final decisions are to be made in
the best overall public interest, taking into consideration the need for fast,
safe, and efficient transportation, public services, and the costs of eliminating
or minimizing the following: adverse effects on community cohesion; public
facilities; employment; tax and property values; displacement of people, businesses,
and farms; and adverse impacts on community and regional growth. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has built a framework of policies and procedures to help meet its social, economic, and environmental responsibilities while accomplishing its transportation mission, and is committed to the protection and enhancement of our environment, communities, and neighborhoods. The FHWA Environmental Policy Statement issued in November 1994 defined "environment" to include "the natural environment, the built environment, the cultural and social fabric of our country and our neighborhoods, and the quality of life of the people who live here. This quality of life is enhanced not only by economic security and ample natural resources, but by enduring community values and thriving neighborhoods where all citizens have access to safe, comfortable, and efficient transportation." |
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Many neighborhood residents, representatives, and leaders claim the
transportation-planning, NEPA, and civil-rights-complaint processes do not
routinely address community, neighborhood, social, economic, and "people"
impacts. Transportation planners, project managers, and environmental
specialists repeatedly claim that these types of impacts are qualitative and
that methodologies do not exist to address them, even though laws and requirements
to address social, economic, and environmental impacts during transporation
planning, project development, and decisionmaking have been around for 30 years.
The impacts of transporation investments on communities, neighborhoods, and
people are often introduced late in the process, prompted by controversy,
complaints, or lawsuits.
In 1996, FHWA initiated efforts to re-educate transportation professionals
and enhance their expertise on how to address these issues. A use-friendly
primer, "Community Impact Assessment," was published in September 1996 on how
to conduct a community impact assessment to address the impacts of proposed
transportation actions on communities, neighborhoods, and people. To complement
the primer, this document, "Community Impact Mitigation: Case Studies," is
designed to provide examples of how transportation projects have been planned,
designed, and constructed accross the Country to be neighborhood friendly;
avoid, minimize, and mitigate impacts; and, where appropriate, enhance the
livability of communities and neighborhoods.