>There is very little available in the way of concrete study reported on the
>relationship between road development and growth patterns (though a good
>deal more than there was when we last fought the battle) but there is a
>good deal of anecdotal evidence that bypasses and other methods of road
>capacity expansions not accompanied by very carefully thought out land-use,
>environmental and preservation planning create havoc from their inception
>and tend to be self-defeating in the long run, especially in rural areas,
>since they seem to be prime proofs of the Fields of Dreams adage "build it
>and they will come".
>
>There is also, by the way, a Federal prohibition against incremental road
>expansion without regional planning, but in the Mid-coast region, at least,
>neither the MDOT or the Feds seem to be paying too much attention to that.
>
>Bruce

Some pinheads may not be aware of the work in land use study that is being
done through the Lincoln Institute.  Abstracts of some of their papers can
be found at:
http://www.lincolninst.edu/pubs/pubcat.html

There are quite a few studies analyzing growth and transportation networks,
mostly from a land use perspective.  Not much on rural issues such as faced
in Bruce's example, mostly focused on urban growth fringes, but there is
some work that might have some relevancy.

The front page of the site is:
http://www.lincolninst.edu/index.html

It's worth a browse.  There's a lot of very arcane analysis being done.
Bruce, I'm assuming you're familiar with their work given your activism and
proximity to them in the Northeast; have they not done stuff that has
buttressed your anecdotal arguments?

______________________________________________
Dan Becker,  Executive Director            "What's this? Fan mail
Raleigh Historic                                     from some flounder?"
Districts Commission                             - Bullwinkle J. Moose

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