The Urbana-Champaign community has good “bone structure,” said Todd Litman of the Victoria Transport Policy Institute. The institute is an independent research organization that assists communities in developing models for effective transportation methods.

In a presentation given Monday at the Illinois Terminal, Litman described Urbana-Champaign as having the essentials needed to promote socialization and sustainability. However, he said, in order to make full use of the community’s features, some work needs to be done.

Smart growth is the idea of localizing shopping, schools, and entertainment to encourage walking, biking, and the use of mass transportation, Litman said. In sprawling areas, where accessing essential needs involves traveling 10 or more miles, community members tend to drive more, creating traffic congestion, air pollution, and accessibility issues for nondrivers.

In these sprawling areas, traffic deaths are higher per capita than in areas of smart growth, Litman said. Neighborhoods that promote walking by having essentials within a shorter distance tend to require slower and less traffic.

The intention, he said, is not to make neighborhoods intentionally undriveable, but instead to promote modes of transportation that are more economical and have health benefits.

In 2003, the average income of citizens in the 10 most drivable cities was $5,500 less than that of the 10 least drivable Litman said. The cities on the least drivable list had extensive mass transportation systems, allowing for more efficient travel.

Public transportation systems also directly assist the economy of the areas they serve. When businesses move into residential areas, members of the neighborhood are more likely to keep their money in their own area, Litman said.

Mass transit also creates the largest number of jobs of any mode of transportation, while petroleum sales account for the least.

Litman also said it is important that people understand that because public transit accidents are infrequent, they get more attention than accidents involving personal vehicles.

“In Urbana, there is a high rate of public transportation use, but there is actually a low rate of accidents involving public transportation,” Litman said. “The most important thing you can do is to get drivers to realize that campus areas are a shared space (with pedestrians) and look out.”

He also said the University can make changes to encourage transit use for commuters. For example, if the University were to gradually increase parking fees, the extra revenue could be used to support alternative modes of transportation, such as vanpools. Because providing parking is expensive, incentives could also be offered to employees who use alternative methods of getting to campus.

“Communities need to move toward sustainable modes of transportation to ensure safety and health for their members,” Litman said. “Sustainable planning is to development what preventative medicine is to health.”

Emphasis on development, involving improved planning, is needed to achieve an economic, social, and environmental balance Litman said. The way to do that is by using the “bone structure” the community already has to its advantage to promote walkability and safe, efficient transportation.