The status of corridor protection along scenic byways

Abstract

Scenic corridor protection can be viewed as a microcosm of all land use and protection concerns. The issue has been a topic of discussion among a select few land use professionals, including landscape architects, highway engineers and land use lawyers, for over fifty years. However, the acceleration of land development into previously undisturbed scenic areas, coupled with recent federal initiatives aimed at the inclusion of scenic byways programs into the 1991 Transportation Bill, has increased discussions on scenic byway issues, including questions on the success or failures of scenic corridor protection. To date, there has been little research on the issues and concerns of scenic corridor management and protection, especially at the state level. This thesis is an attempt to gauge the status of scenic corridor protection among those states with several years experience in the field and to offer other states some insights as to tools, issues and concerns involved with corridor management and protection. The process was achieved through a combination of telephone interviews, a questionnaire and case studies of each participant state.

Indications are that the field is currently fragmented in terms of tools and methods of management and many managers feel a sense of frustration at the lack of a holistic approach to scenic corridor protection.