Context Sensitive Design:

South Valley Community Transportation Project

Contact:  Geri Knoebel

A three year grant from the Surdna Foundation has made it possible for the ATR Institute to work with a coalition of small businesses and neighborhood associations to provide for alternative transportation systems and develop smart growth policies for the area. The local community group spearheading the activities is the South Valley Transportation Committee (SVTC). The SVTC started as a response to the lack of good public transportation services in an area predominately Hispanic set in a semi-rural area southwest of Albuquerque, NM. With the pressure of continued growth in the community, the SVTC has brought the issues of transportation to the forefront of land use, agricultural productivity, cultural preservation, educational opportunities, and small business development. The ATR Institute has worked with the SVTC and the South Valley Neighborhood Coalition to provide a public transportation plan to elected county officials. The plan was adopted and implemented. Currently, the ATR Institute is assisting the SVTC and the neighborhood groups in establishing smart growth policies for major arterial roads intersecting the community. The ATR Institute will work as part of a team of county officials, neighborhood groups, small businesses and private contractors to obtain new design criteria for Isleta Boulevard, a major arterial roadway.