Parking and Complete Streets
The connective tissue of our cities—the streets, roads, and transportation networks that enable people to move from place to place—are not exempt from the influence of parking minimums.
Author: Raveena John
Pollution and the pavement
Our transportation system’s impact on the environment isn’t caused by tailpipe emissions alone. Protecting the natural resources we depend on requires rethinking how we travel.
Making Maryland Safer: Protecting all road users with Complete Streets
Smart Growth America (SGA), through its Complete Streets Leadership Academy, worked with Maryland’s Department of Transportation (MDOT) and State Highway Administration (SHA) to pilot quick-build demonstration projects on state-owned routes in Bel Air, Hagerstown, and Howard County. These three communities were asked to plan, design, and install quick-build projects at specific locations to improve safety … Continued
DOT Coordination Case Study: Kalamazoo and Michigan
Kalamazoo, Michigan, is dealing with a problem seen in a number of cities across the US: a state highway running through the downtown as a “couplet,” two parallel one-way streets. These two wide and fast state-owned routes cut through a downtown neighborhood full of parks, restaurants, and museums near Western Michigan University. Six lanes with … Continued
DOT Coordination Case Study: Seattle and Washington
The most dangerous road in Seattle, Washington, is State Route 99, Aurora Avenue N. 19 people were killed while walking on Aurora Ave N between 2008 and 2022, on just 7.6 miles of road. 14 of these deaths occurred between 2018 and 2022, which is 15% of all pedestrian fatalities in Seattle during that time. … Continued
Designs for Change: Detroit, MI
Detroit, Michigan has made an effort to address dangerous street design and prioritize the safety of people walking. So far, the changes have been pulling off. Since 2018, the city has seen a 40 percent decrease in fatalities.
Charting a path for Complete Streets in Alaska
Smart Growth America is working with the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (AKDOT&PF) to bring the Complete Streets approach to the 49th state. I had the incredible opportunity to travel to Alaska in my first month on the Thriving Communities team, where I joined colleagues and collaborators to participate in several events aimed … Continued