Mobility and Community Form
The Mobility
and Community Form (MCF)
program was developed
by the New Jersey Department
of Transportation (NJDOT)
to assist communities in
improving connections between
the local transportation
system and different patterns
of land use. The "MCF
Guide to Linking Transportation
and Land Use in the Municipal
Master Plan" provides
municipalities with an
overview of seven activity
patterns that influence
community form. The MCF
is organized around the
Transect planning tool
which represents the different
elements and scale of development
patterns from the natural/rural
to the urban environment.
This helps them visualize
suitable development patterns.
The MCF applies an activity-based
Transect to assist communities
in identifying how the
different development patterns
influence walking, biking
and other elements of healthy
community design. The MCF
Guide assists communities
in reaching their vision
for the future by outlining
how to develop a MCF Element
and utilize it in their
master plan.
Prescriptions
There are seven patterns
of mobility and community
life identified as part
of the MCF program:
- Circulation
The circulation pattern
includes the use of
"Complete Streets"
to accommodate all
users with interconnected
streets and frequent
intersections. Safety
and sensitivity of
the surrounding environment
is also considered
under this pattern.
- Shopping Streets
This pattern creates
a sense of place by
designing Main Streets
with appropriate parking
and pedestrian amenities.
- Parking
The parking pattern details
the use of contextual
design and scale for
parking areas.
- Transit Stops
The transit stop pattern
identifies features
to improve the comfort,
access and identity
of transit stations
within communities
and discusses the need
to support transit.
- Neighborhoods
The neighborhood activity
pattern recommends
a mix of land uses
that include various
housing types and provides
details on street scale
and pedestrian accommodations.
It promotes locating
schools close to existing
neighborhoods and providing
safe walking routes
for children.
- Public Places
The public places pattern
discusses grouping
shared civic spaces
to provide accessible
and meaningful community
places.
- Natural
Environment
The natural environment
pattern uses context
sensitive design to
create transportation
facilities that are
environmentally sensitive
and respect the surrounding
area. It also discusses
the importance of providing
public access to beaches,
rivers and other natural
features.
This
Activity-based Transect
shows
transitions
from
rural,
suburban and urban land
uses.
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