A new chapter for Florida street design

Note: This article is published in the October-November 2012 issue of Better! Cities & Towns (subscribe).

Like many states, Florida has been a source of design guidance and regulations for local government streets and land use. The State of Florida has a regulatory document that is used by most local governments for development and thoroughfares titled “The Manual of Uniform Minimum Standards for Design Construction and Maintenance for Streets and Highways,” more commonly known as “The Florida Greenbook.” The Greenbook, updated every two years, is adopted through the state rule making process and consequently is a regulatory document backed by Florida law.

The Greenbook, developed by professional engineers representing every geographic district in the state, has historically supported conventional suburban development patterns and highways. The 2012 Greenbook includes a new chapter, number 19, titled “Traditional Neighborhood Development.”

The Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND) chapter was developed using guidance from the current AASHTO Greenbook and the 2004 AASHTO document, “A Guide for Achieving Flexibility in Highway Design.” Despite language in the AASHTO Greenbook concerning the flexibility allowed in the manual, most engineers and transportation agencies have not exercised that flexibility. A common misunderstanding of engineers is that the criteria is based primarily on

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