The transportation ⇔ land use connection
Within the Bend urban area there are several physical features that constrict the development of the transportation system, thereby channeling street traffic to a few key routes. Any efforts the city and county can take to reduce or mitigate traffic congestion on the main routes will help Bend remain a place in which people enjoy living and working. The items below provide a brief overview of how the planning of land use and transportation are inter- connected in the Comprehensive Plan. Chapter 7, Transportation Systems, provides a more thorough and detailed description of the urban area transportation systems, and their relationship to land uses.
To support a cost effective and balanced land use and transportation system during the 20-year planning horizon the Comprehensive Plan provides for:
■ making other types of transportation systems more accessible and more functional through the development of a fixed-route or on-demand or other transit system, completion of the sidewalk system, and adding bike lanes and off-street trails;
■ having pedestrian and public transit supportive design standards for commercial developments;
■ designating several small commercial centers throughout the community to offer convenient shopping and services within walking distance or short driving distance of neighborhoods;
■ adding medium density housing around the new commercial centers to support the centers and offer more opportunities for people to live close to services;
■ designing more efficient and creative residential developments that also allow for more compact growth, including the use of neighborhood refinement plans to guide such development;
■ supporting residential “in-fill” development, while assuring compatibility with existing residential neighborhoods;
■ improving the connection of streets and/or pedestrian corridors within and through neighborhoods to reduce unnecessary out-of-direction trips;
■ public policy that encourages the joint siting of new schools and parks for more efficient land use, and also to better link schools with after-school recreation programs; and
■ locating new elementary schools and new parks within convenient distance of residential areas served by those facilities.