Land Use Guided By Transportation
Land use in Honolulu is affected by a number of definitive growth patterns including population density, topography, and transit.
Topography, Land Use, and Social Equity
Where the population density of the city might have developed along the transportation corridors, the value of the land use is more determined by the cities’ topographical features. There are seaside areas, midland plains, high ridges and deep valleys all formed by the fast moving basalt lava millions of years ago (Wood and Kienle 1992). For example, the wealthiest neighborhoods of Honolulu live either on the high exposed ridges that are tempered by cool trade winds and offer exquisite vistas like those along Nuuana Ridge (Chang 2012) or along the urban coastline in walking distance of many advantageous amenities like the resort beaches of Waikiki. This is as opposed to the inland plains and deep valleys that experience hotter, dryer weather and are zoned for more high-density low income housing like the ones in Kalihi Valley (Kokua Kalihi Valley 2012).
Population Density and Growth
From 1959, when Hawai’i became a state, to the present day, the highest population density has grown in patterns along transportation corridors including rail, air, and automobile transit. This growth was also greatly affected by the topography of the southern shore of the island, proximity to water, and the ridges and valleys north of the city.
Transit & Development
Most of the dense development Honolulu has experienced over the last century has followed the path of the major investments in transportation infrastructure. These investments include the influence of rail, road, and air. Rail solidified the shape of downtown Honolulu with an intricate network of streetcar track beginning in the late 19th century. The streetcar gave way to an extensive autobus system that today features some of the highest ridership counts per capita in the nation (Honolulu.gov 2012). This was both assisted and hampered by the building of Interstate 1 (also known as the H-1). Where this development guided the growth of the city in a westerly motion, it also led to extensive sprawl and congestion. Honolulu is now one of the most congested cities in the nation, second only to Los Angeles.
The Hawaiian Islands are the world’s most isolated archipelago and access to and from the mainland could only become sustainable through the technology of flight. The first flight on the island of Oahu took place in 1911; where as the first flight from the mainland (San Francisco) to Kauai took place in 1925. The ability to fly to Hawaii allowed the tourism industry to become what it has today, on one of the largest portions of the Honolulu economy. Shortly after his flight, the John Rogers Airport was built in 1927 on the land that is now the Honolulu International Airport. The airport was expanded to resemble its modern day appearance in the early 1940s when the United States Navy and Air Force needed a proper port during World War II (State of Hawaii Department of Transportation, Airports Division 2014)
Honolulu Transit Oriented Development
The most recent public transportation initiative for Honolulu is the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transit (HART). The HART project is being developed to run parallel to the H1 interstate and help the city’s congestion problem. The City and County of Honolulu’s Department of Planning and Permitting (DPP) created a series of economic stimulus plans for the various neighborhoods of the city that run along the new rail route. This is known as Transit Oriented Development: Honolulu. These developments show how transportation and topography share in creating a more equitable city (City and County of Honolulu, Department of Planning & Permitting 2014).