As of the end of 2016, more than 1,000 jurisdictions in the United States have made formal commitments to streets that are safe and convenient for everyone—no matter their age, income, race, ethnicity, physical ability, or how they choose to travel—by passing a Complete Streets policy. Specifically, 13 communities led the nation in creating and adopting comprehensive Complete Streets policies last year.
President Trump withdrew from the Paris Agreement on June 1st, and since then more than 211 U.S. mayors have pledged to uphold it despite the president’s action. Together the mayors represent more than 54 million Americans and some of the largest U.S. cities.
To these mayors we say: thank you for your leadership. We support you and this strong commitment to reducing emissions at the city level. Keep going.
How should mayors keep going, exactly? The Mayors National Climate Action Agenda has already outlined several suggestions for how cities can achieve these goals, including things like investing in electric cars and clean energy.
We’re here to add that building compact, walkable neighborhoods served by transit is a crucial part of reducing emissions. Using this approach can help cities reach their emissions goals faster. Here’s why and how.
Last month, Complete Streets director Emiko Atherton traveled to Knoxville, Tennessee to speak in the Walkability Speaker Series, a series that highlights the benefits of walkability and explores strategies to cultivate more walkable environments. The series is a collaborative effort led by the Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization with the support of East Tennessee Quality Growth, the Knoxville Area Association of Realtors, the Knoxville Chamber, and the Knoxville Chapter of the American Planning Association. Emiko and I were excited by the opportunity to scope out Knoxville and get to know some of the local champions of smart growth and walkability, since we’ll be back before too long as part of our Complete Streets Consortium Series.
Communities shouldn’t wait for a flood or a hurricane to see how land use choices will affect their ability to remain resilient in the face of disaster.
Many states and municipalities are already thinking strategically about how land use, transportation, and infrastructure decisions can help them prepare for and mitigate the impact of disasters. Building Resilient States: Profiles in Action, published by the Governors’ Institute on Community Design earlier this month, highlights local, regional, and statewide efforts to build more resilient communities from the ground up.
The Local Leaders Council and LOCUS, Smart Growth America’s coalition of real estate developers and investors, are teaming up to match local leaders with developers to get smart growth projects built. Strong relationships are key—smart growth-minded local leaders must connect with developers and investors, in the right place, at the right time, to get the ball rolling.
Earlier this week, President Trump released his full fiscal year (FY) 2018 federal budget which, if enacted, would represent an enormous reduction in federal spending on America’s safety net and other vital domestic programs. As proposed, the budget would slash non-defense discretionary spending by $54 billion next year, but increase federal spending on defense and border security. And while Trump’s proposal does include $200 billion for infrastructure, it either eliminates or drastically reduces key federal programs that support attainable housing, community development, affordable transportation, and a clean and healthy environment.
Mark your calendar! Our annual review of the best Complete Streets policies of the last year comes out on Thursday, June 8, 2017!
This year we are excited to celebrate 1,000 Complete Streets policies now in place nationwide. That includes more than 130 passed in 2016 alone. See the full list of places in the running for this year’s best policy — is your community among them?
Yesterday President Trump released his proposal for the fiscal year 2018 federal budget. Geoff Anderson, President and CEO of Smart Growth America, issued the following response:
“There’s a lot of puzzling logic in this budget, but one point stood out to me above the others. It was the budget’s justification for cuts to transportation. Despite a pledge of raising $200 billion for infrastructure spending, the budget explains that because cities are investing in public transportation, the federal government should stop doing so.
The fact that local governments are spending money on public transportation—or housing, or neighborhood revitalization—shows just how much cities value these things. Local governments and the private sector are willing to invest their own dollars to make these things happen. The federal government should follow their lead and help that work go farther.
Communities shouldn’t wait for a flood or a hurricane to see how land use choices will affect their ability to remain resilient in the face of disaster.
In October 2015, the Governors’ Institute on Community Design, a program run in partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Smart Growth America, released Building Resilient States: A Framework for Agencies, a report intended to introduce and integrate land use and transportation issues into states’ conversations about resilience. The Framework was designed to help … Continued