Is the concept of considering landscape and aesthetics in roadway design new?
In the middle of the 19th century the concept of parkway design began to emerge through the influence of Fredrick Law Olmsted. His influence and concepts in park design carried over to the notion of roadways serving as linear parks that connected open spaces in urban areas. Hallmark projects, which have defined significant design principles and illustrate the incorporation of aesthetics with highway engineering include: the Merritt Parkway; the Blue Ridge Parkway,; Natchez Trace Parkway; Sequoia-Kings Canyon Highway; and I-170 Vail Pas and I-70 through Glenwood Canyon. In addition, many state have taken up the challenge of designing highway systems which respond to the communities and landscapes through which they pass, including; Arizona, Minnesota, New Jersey, and Wisconsin. (Additional information on the history of highway aesthetics and highway design in the United State can be found in Chapter Two of the I-15, I-80 Urban, and I-80 Rural Technical Information Report – Volume One: I
In the middle of the 19th century the concept of parkway design began to emerge through the influence of Fredrick Law Olmsted. His influence and concepts in park design carried over to the notion of roadways serving as linear parks that connected open spaces in urban areas. Hallmark projects, which have defined significant design principles and illustrate the incorporation of aesthetics with highway engineering include: the Merritt Parkway; the Blue Ridge Parkway,; Natchez Trace Parkway; Sequoia-Kings Canyon Highway; and I-170 Vail Pas and I-70 through Glenwood Canyon. In addition, many state have taken up the challenge of designing highway systems which respond to the communities and landscapes through which they pass, including; Arizona, Minnesota, New Jersey, and Wisconsin.
