Smart Growth America is excited to announce the 14 local elected officials who will participate in our 2025 Champions Institute. These champions will come together to learn, develop, and advance efforts to improve community design and create communities where all can thrive. Smart growth strategies help towns and cities of all types across the country … Continued
This case study highlights work from those who participated in our Healing our Highways program, an initiative that aims to inspire creative ideas and activities to build knowledge, connections, and power within disadvantaged communities most harmed by transportation systems and climate change. Atlanta, Georgia has dealt firsthand with the harms perpetuated by the U.S. highway … Continued
This case study highlights work from those who participated in our Healing our Highways program, an initiative that aims to inspire creative ideas and activities to build knowledge, connections, and power within disadvantaged communities most harmed by transportation systems and climate change. Tampa Heights, one of Tampa’s oldest neighborhoods, has deep generational roots, including a … Continued
This case study highlights work from those who participated in our Healing our Highways program, an initiative that aims to inspire creative ideas and activities to build knowledge, connections, and power within disadvantaged communities most harmed by transportation systems and climate change. Boyle Heights, a vibrant Latino neighborhood, was shaped by redlining and the East … Continued
This case study highlights work from those who participated in our Healing our Highways program, an initiative that aims to inspire creative ideas and activities to build knowledge, connections, and power within disadvantaged communities most harmed by transportation systems and climate change. Buford Highway is a dangerous seven-lane corridor lacking pedestrian safety features, resulting in … Continued
Smart growth strategies help towns and cities across the country become healthier while improving resiliency and sustainability. With support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Active People, Healthy Nation Initiative, Smart Growth America’s Champions Institute provides mayors, city councilors, tribal chairpeople and councilors, and other local elected officials with knowledge and resources to … Continued
Disabled Americans face significant challenges with independent travel, as they are more reliant on transit but often encounter accessibility barriers. This isolation leads to severe physical and mental health impacts, with loneliness affecting people with disabilities at over four times the rate of non-disabled individuals. Disabled Americans are less likely to own a personal vehicle in … Continued
Taking advantage of federal funding opportunities is critical for communities that want to create safe, connected environments. Versailles, Kentucky sought to do just that when they submitted a successful application for the USDOT Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) program.
Started in 2021 by author and Director of the Disability Mobility Initiative Anna Zivarts as a Washington state based campaign, the Week Without Driving challenge illuminates the ways our current system is failing, and encourages us to envision a system that works better for everyone. With the support of America Walks, Week Without Driving has now expanded into a national effort and is happening September 30th through October 6th this year.
Healing Our Highways is a grant program led by Smart Growth America’s Arts and Culture team providing funding and technical assistance for arts and culture projects that confront the harms perpetuated through our transportation system on marginalized communities of color. On May 15, 2024, a cozy Filipino restaurant in a suburban Atlanta Asian shopping plaza was filled with energy, connection, and delicious food as the Healing Our Highways cohort of artists and cultural workers deliberated on strategies for community organizing, building power, and making change.