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The term “Context Sensitive Design” (“CSD”), comes from the 1991 Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act. The CSD approach was reaffirmed by the 1995 National Highway System Designation Act, which stated that roadway designs for the National Highway System could take into account “the constructed and natural environment of the area; the environmental, scenic, aesthetic, historic, community and preservation impacts of the activity; and access for other modes of transportation“ (Ewing).

Some road designers are no longer ignoring the social implications of the roadways they create. By designing major highways to benefit the dynamics of an area, highway agencies are achieving transportation goals and serving the residents of the area at the same time. Construction is finally acknowledging the negative effects of a highway dividing the community and working to solve the problem.

Highway design is now asked to take the pedestrian, the driver, the community, the surrounding natural assets, and the aesthetics of a road into consideration. Case studies show that on occasion, the superhighway plan is being thrown out entirely in favor of more community oriented roadways.

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