|
Narrative Summary
Highways are among the most visible artifacts of our civilization. They give form to our communities and impact us every day of our lives. They connect us to each other and to the place we have chosen to call home. They welcome our guests upon arrival and send them on their way when they leave. Because they affect our ecosystems and the way our neighborhoods and places of business connect to each other, they influence the quality of life of every citizen. Realizing that it had neglected these important functions of highways in its effort to provide safe and efficient transportation for the fastest growing state in the U.S., NDOT engaged the planning team to establish a comprehensive program that would incorporate high quality, publicly endorsed landscape design-in the broadest definition of that term-into all state highways throughout their life cycle. Most important, this Master Plan impacts the use and form of the land through policies, through design process, and through design guidelines. Further, it garners critical funding to implement the program and ensure that land-based values guide highway design and management, including retrofit of existing highways. In this sense, the Master Plan addresses the broadest definition of landscape architecture and bridges the schism between planning and landscape design.
Goals and Objectives
- Establish the first landscape and aesthetics program for the Nevada state highway system
- Beautify highways, improve the state’s public image, welcome visitors, contribute to the tourist-based economy, and provide a vehicle for Nevada’s communities to improve the quality of life.
- Celebrate the state’s beautiful landscapes and diverse populations.
- Provide more effective public involvement throughout the highway design process.
Design Use in the Process
The Program: The Master Plan establishes the “meaning of landscape and aesthetics”, a broad vision incorporating landscape and aesthetics into each phase of the life cycle of highways. It further identifies four crucial state policies:
- Landscape and aesthetics will be considered with all other design factors.
- Local agencies are encouraged to be involved.
- Regionally appropriate materials will be emphasized.
- NDOT will work with local agencies to develop cooperative funding agreements.
Implementation and Project Administration
The Master Plan was approved by the Nevada State Board of Transportation. Since then, NDOT has established a landscape architecture department and hired three licensed landscape architects to manage the program from the headquarters office. Three additional positions will be sought during the next legislative cycle. They will be assigned to the district offices to assist with daily implementation and maintenance.
Landscape and aesthetics have been incorporated into normal NDOT projects throughout the state including several multi-million dollar landscape projects. All projects require a Nevada licensed landscape architect’s stamp. |
