Champion Spotlight: Memphis, TN

This case study was written as part of our Dangerous by Design Technical Assistance program. This initiative brought together champions from across the country to advance street safety efforts through data collection and storytelling. This study was written by Jackson McNeil from Innovate Memphis. In the past 4 years, there have been over 1,000 pedestrians … Continued

Complete Streets Transportation

Champion Spotlight: St. Louis, MO

This case study was written as part of our Dangerous by Design Technical Assistance program. This initiative brought together champions from across the country to advance street safety efforts through data collection and storytelling. This study was written by Justin Seaton from Trailnet.  In September 2022, Danyell “Starr” McMiller was killed by a hit-and-run driver … Continued

Complete Streets Transportation

Champion Spotlight: Bismarck, ND

This case study was written as part of our Dangerous by Design Technical Assistance program. This initiative brought together champions from across the country to advance street safety efforts through data collection and storytelling. This study was written by Kimberly Riepl from Bismarck-Mandan MPO. Image of the intersection of 24th Street at Main Avenue. Kim … Continued

Complete Streets Transportation

Champion Spotlight: Kalamazoo, MI

This case study was written as part of our Dangerous by Design Technical Assistance program. This initiative brought together champions from across the country to advance street safety efforts through data collection and storytelling. This study was written by Nolan Bergstrom from the City of Kalamazoo. West Michigan Avenue, from Howard Street to the city … Continued

Complete Streets Transportation

Safer Speeds are the Secret Sauce to the Safe System Approach

After a decade of increased pedestrian and bicyclist deaths and a historic spike during the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) published its first-ever National Roadway Safety Strategy in 2022 – setting a goal of zero traffic deaths and adopting a Safe System Approach to achieve it. In explaining the Safe System … Continued

Complete Streets

How Do We Know if Complete Streets (or Any Streets) Are Meeting the Needs of Community Members?

As Smart Growth America releases its best practices to evaluate the success of Complete Streets efforts, we at Salud America! want to draw attention to how transportation needs and barriers have been conceptualized. This post was written by Amanda Merck from Salud America!  Across the fields of urban planning, public health, and health care, transportation … Continued

Complete Streets

Connecting community infrastructure projects through technical assistance and capacity building

This post was authored by Madlyn McAuliffe, communications manager for NUMO, with support from Justyn Huckleberry (NUMO) and Harriet Tregoning (NUMO). NUMO is a partner on Smart Growth America’s Community Connectors grant program. When you hear “infrastructure,” most people naturally think of the physical built environment — roads, bridges, buildings. There’s a lot less emphasis … Continued

Technical assistance Transportation

20 leaders from five cities tour Greenville, SC for examples of smart growth

This article was originally published on November 20, 2017 by the Upstate Business Journal. Photo by Will Crooks. Smart Growth America and the Knight Foundation recently held the second phase of its inaugural Amazing Place Ideas Forum in Greenville. Held Nov. 14-16, the forum brought more than 20 economic development leaders and elected officials from … Continued

Economic development

Working together to develop local strategies for strong rural communities

This post was originally published by Megan McConville, Senior Policy Advisor to the Rural Housing Service Administrator on the USDA blog.  How will decisions about where we locate new development or upgrade existing infrastructure impact our future economic vitality and fiscal health?  How can we site and plan public facilities and housing so they have the … Continued

Technical assistance