Alta, in partnership with the Federal Highway Administration and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota, developed The Small Town and Rural Multimodal Networks Guide. The guide translates existing street design guidance and facility types for bicycle and pedestrian safety and comfort for the smaller scale places not addressed in guides such as the NACTO Street Design Guide and ITE Walkable Urban Thoroughfares report. The guide provides clear examples of how to interpret and apply design flexibility to improve bicycling and walking conditions.
The document presents compelling photographs, visual illustrations and technical diagrams to communicate design issues and solutions in a smaller scale setting. Paired with the design guidance for each facility type is a representative case study, telling the story of a small community’s success at implementing multimodal facilities in a non-urban context.
The guide development was funded in part by the Federal Highway Administration and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota. Alta led the technical work for the design guidelines in partnership with the National Association of Counties (NACo) and the Small Urban and Rural Livability Center at Western Transportation Institute (WTI).
An interactive online edition of the guide is available at ruraldesignguide.com.
