By examining how local land use plans anticipate and account for transportation projects and how related land management tools are actually being used by county and municipal governments in North Carolina, this study examines the degree to which indirect and cumulative land development impact assessments done for a proposed transportation project within a given locality could build on that locality's land use plan. Data for the study came from a survey of all counties and selected municipalities in the State, from planned transportation investments for all communities in the State for the 2004-2010 period and from an evaluation of 30 local plans from communities that have land use plans. The results suggest that transportation and land use planning are not as coordinated as they could or should be in land use plans. The absence of this coordination in land use plans limits the ability of planners to anticipate urban development from transportation investments. This lack of integration also means that assessments of indirect land development impacts of projects generally can not rely solely on local land use plans. Land use plans can be used a starting point for such assessments, but additional reliance on the plans requires that they incorporate the development impacts of transportation projects in a more systematic fashion. Recommendations include the provision of technical assistance for improving land use plans with respect to transportation; developing best-practice reports highlighting the use of land use and transportation indicators at different levels of aggregation and under different growth conditions; and strengthening regional and State Agencies in their ability to reach out to local land use planners to increase collaboration among parties and improve planning outcomes. This will enable localities to develop more transportation-aware land use plans.
