What is CSS?
"Context sensitive solutions (CSS) is a collaborative, interdisciplinary approach that involves all stakeholders to develop a transportation facility that fits its physical setting and preserves scenic, aesthetic, historic and environmental resources, while maintaining safety and mobility. CSS is an approach that considers the total context within which a transportation improvement project will exist." -- Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
Purpose of this Web site
The Web site has been developed to help practitioners with tools and information that are easily available for download. Links below allow you to download two key CSS report along with several ancillary materials. The two publications highlighted on this Web site include:
Implementing Context Sensitive Design Handbook - 2017
Integration of Safety in the Project Development Process and Beyond: A Context Sensitive Approach – 2015
Designing Walkable Urban Thoroughfares: A Context Sensitive Approach: An ITE Recommended Practice - 2010
Designing Walkable Urban Thoroughfares: A Context Sensitive Approach
The ITE Recommended Practice, Designing Walkable Urban Thoroughfares: A Context Sensitive Approach, advances the successful use of context sensitive solutions (CSS) in the planning and design of major urban thoroughfares for walkable communities. It provides guidance and demonstrates for practitioners how CSS concepts and principles may be applied in roadway improvement projects that are consistent with their physical settings. The report's chapters are focused on applying the principles of CSS in transportation planning and in the design of roadway improvement projects in places where community objectives support walkable communities-compact development, mixed land uses and support for pedestrians and bicyclists, whether it already exists or is a goal for the future.
This document was produced in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency and in partnership with the Congress for the New Urbanism.
The following additional resources posted below are intended to supplement the ITE recommended practice Designing Walkable Urban Thoroughfares: A Context Sensitive Approach: An ITE Recommended Practice.
- CSS ITE Journal article published 2011
- Fact sheet 1 -- An Overview of the Recommended Practice
- Fact sheet 2 -- A Design Framework for Walkable Thoroughfares
- Fact sheet 3 -- Design Factors to Control Speed
- Fact sheet 4 -- Using Context Zones and Thoroughfare Types in Design
- Fact sheet 5 -- Designing Thoroughfares in Highly Urban Contexts
- Fact sheet 6 -- Designing Avenues and Streets in Residential Areas
- Fact sheet 7 -- Creating Quality Main Streets
- Fact sheet 8 -- Creating Livable Streets for Your Community
- Fact sheet 9 -- Designing Safe Urban Thoroughfares
- White Papers
- Context Sensitive Solutions Performance Measures Technical Memorandum
By Brian S. Bochner, P.E., PTOE, PTP and Beverly J. Storey
In order to successfully encourage communities and agencies to implement CSS designs in their localities, it is widely acknowledged that there is a need to quantify the benefits of CSS. This paper touches the surface on this extensive topic, provides a detailed overview of existing research, and sets the stage for future research efforts.
- Case Studies
- PowerPoint Presentations
- Web Briefings
- “Case Study Successes in Designing Walkable Thoroughfares” | Recording (58.9 MB)
Date/time held: Wednesday, July 13, 2011, 12:00–1:30 p.m. EDT
This briefing presents background and examples of collaborative planning, community design, network connectivity, thoroughfare design, design issue resolution, innovative financing, and value capture through redevelopment and public/private partnerships.
Presenters:
- Brian Bochner, Senior Research Engineer, Texas Transportation Institute, College Station, TX
- James M. Daisa, Associate Principal, Ove Arup & Partners, San Francisco, CA
- Beverly Storey, Associate Research Scientist, Texas Transportation Institute, College Station, TX
- “Designing Safety and Security into Walkable Urban Thoroughfares” | Recording (77.8 MB)
Date/time held: Wednesday, July 27, 2011, 12:00–1:30 p.m. EDT
This briefing presents a wide range of design approaches and features that help designers incorporate transportation safety into the design of walkable urban thoroughfares, which includes both roadway and urban design. The briefing covers primary causes of safety issues and the basic approaches to increasing safety, design features that can increase safety in a multimodal, walkable urban environment, and safety benefits and personal security aspects.
Presenters:
- Brian Bochner, Senior Research Engineer, Texas Transportation Institute, College Station, TX
- James M. Daisa, Associate Principal, Ove Arup & Partners, San Francisco, CA
- Eric Dumbaugh, Assistant Professor, Texas Transportation Institute, College Station, TX
- Beverly Storey, Associate Research Scientist, Texas Transportation Institute, College Station, TX
Integration of Safety in the Project Development Process and Beyond: A Context Sensitive Approach – 2015
The ITE informational report, Integration of Safety in the Project Development Process and Beyond: A Context Sensitive Approach, builds upon the above referenced ITE FHWA Designing Walkable Urban Thoroughfares: A Context Sensitive Approach (RP) and the dialog that was initiated with ITE members in support of advancing the implementation of context sensitive solution (CSS). This report focuses on the consideration of safety in the project development process and its relationship to highway design elements considering project context from a quantitative, substantive, analytical, and technical perspective.
This document was produced in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration.
The following additional resources posted below are intended to supplement the ITE informational report Integration of Safety in the Project Development Process and Beyond: A Context Sensitive Approach
This Webinar presents the methodology to integrate substantive safety into the project development process. It also demonstrates the link between quantitative safety and the principles of Context Sensitive Solutions. It further includes best practice applications that incorporate existing research and knowledge about safety effects. Finally, the webinar discusses how to balance safety with community, environmental, economic, and mobility measures. The concepts presented can be tailored to projects of all sizes, scopes and contexts.
Presenters:
- Richard C. Coakley, P.E., PTOE, FITE, Principal Transportation Engineer, CH2M Hill,
- Cindy Juliano, P.E., Senior Technologist, CH2M Hill
- Keith J. Harrison, P.E., Safety/Geometric Design Engineer, Federal Highway Administration Resource Center
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