TRANSPORTATION IMPACT RESEARCH: A REVIEW OF PREVIOUS STUDIES AND A RECOMMENDED METHODOLOGY FOR THE STUDY OF RURAL COMMUNITIES

This report, which is the third in a series describing the research project entitled "Transportation to Fulfill Human Needs", is presented in an effort to provide both a picture of the state-of-the-art and a summary of specific results, especially those which have a direct bearing on the study of interurban transportation in rural environments. The report presents a brief classification and definition of the types of methodology used in transportation impact studies, and summarizes in detail the findings of previous research according to the type of impact investigated. The report comments on the usefulness and limitations of previous studies and proposes a strategy for future research appropriate both to the state of the art and to the needs of this present effort. The need is indicated for a reevaluation of the methodology of impact studies in general and for the development (from specific case studies) of a methodology appropriate to transportation systems impact on small communities. The report covers such aspects as impact of highway improvement, the effects of other transportation modes and the modeling of highway impact (models of land development and land value are reviewed).