Crossposted from Medium.
More people drove in 2016 than in 2015, according to new data released this week by the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA). Alongside that increase was a disproportionately high rise in pedestrian fatalities — a trend that the authors attribute to increases in distracted driving and distracted walking.
Last week the National Complete Streets Coalition hosted the second installment in our monthly webinar series, Implementation & Equity 201: The Path Forward to Complete Streets. “Creating Value: Assessing the Return on Investment in Complete Streets,” held on March 23, 2017, discussed ways for advocates to quantify and communicate the diverse benefits of Complete Streets projects. Watch the full video recording of the webinar above, or download the PDF of the presentation.
The National Complete Streets Coalition is excited to continue our monthly webinar series, designed to help professionals from a variety of disciplines put Complete Streets principles into action. Implementation & Equity 201: The Path Forward to Complete Streets is exploring a new issue each month related to creating safer, healthier, more equitable streets.
Our next webinar in the series, Integrating Complete Streets, Vision Zero, and Transportation Equity will take place during National Public Health Week on Wednesday, April 5, 2017 from 1:00-2:00 PM EDT. Speakers from Livable Memphis and the Memphis Medical District Collaborative will join the Coalition and our co-host APBP in answering questions such as: How do Complete Streets and Vision Zero fit into a comprehensive planning approach? And what can planners and advocates do to support Transportation Equity in community development?
Earlier today President Trump released his budget blueprint for fiscal year 2017-2018, which outlines increased military spending and cuts for many domestic programs—including key programs that support economic growth in American communities.
Notably the blueprint eliminates funding for HUD’s Community Development Block Grants, USDOT’s TIGER Grants, and the National Endowment for the Arts, and would make major cuts to the EPA; HUD’s HOME Investment Partnerships Program, Choice Neighborhoods and the Self-help Homeownership Opportunity Program; as well as development programs at USDA.
In cities across the country, artists are helping to solve civic problems. Whether it’s bringing people to an empty plaza through performance, improving navigation options through better design, or connecting neighborhoods through interactive installations, artists bring a unique perspective to many municipal challenges.
Artists and civic professionals do not always speak the same language, however. These two groups often answer to different stakeholders and work along different timelines. With the proliferation of new programs integrating arts and culture into community development—like municipally sponsored artist-in-residence programs—artists and cultural producers need to be trained to work with government agencies and community members, and to inhabit interdisciplinary roles that extend beyond the traditional duties of an artist.
Less than two months in to the Trump administration and a new Congress, lawmakers are already talking about a $1 trillion infrastructure package, major cuts in federal spending, and tax reform—legislation that could have huge implications for community development.
What will this mean for transit-oriented development? And how might these changes impact programs that support community revitalization, housing affordability and walkable development?
LOCUS members are invited to join us for a town hall conference call on Friday, March 17, 2017 at 2:30 pm EST to hear from our policy experts with an inside track in Washington.
Today, Dr. Ben Carson was confirmed as Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, putting him at the helm of the federal agency that oversees home mortgage lending practices and other housing-related programs.
To Secretary Carson we say congratulations. America’s housing and community development policies have a huge impact on the day-to-day lives of millions of Americans, and in your new position you have a unique and valuable opportunity to improve this country.
Smart Growth America and LOCUS are looking forward to working with Secretary Carson. He is an unconventional choice for this position, but can bring fresh eyes and renewed energy to the department. Under Secretary Carson HUD has the potential to revitalize distressed neighborhoods and address America’s housing affordability crisis. We believe the private sector can and should play a significant role in that work, and welcome a chance to collaborate.
The National Complete Streets Coalition was in St. Louis, MO last month for the New Partners for Smart Growth conference. While we were there we had a chance to collaborate with AARP St. Louis, the local chapter of our Steering Committee member AARP. AARP St. Louis is working to improve walkability, increase transportation options, and encourage healthy, active living, especially for people aged 50 and older, and we wanted to take a moment to highlight some of the great work they’re doing in St. Louis.
Last week we hosted the first webinar of our new series, Implementation & Equity 201: The Path Forward to Complete Streets. Together with Voices for Healthy Kids and the American Public Health Association, we explored “The Role of Public Health in Complete Streets”. Watch the full video recording of the webinar above, or download the PDF of the presentations.
Transportation systems link people to their daily destinations as well as broader opportunity. And transportation agencies across the country are increasingly interested in measuring how well their systems do this. Many practitioners are not sure where to start on that ambitious goal, but a new guide from the Governors’ Institute on Community Design is designed to show them how.
The How and Why of Measuring Access to Opportunity: A Guide to Performance Management is a brand new guidebook on the data, tools, and methodologies transportation officials need to measure access to opportunity, as well as how to integrate these measurements into their planning and investment decisions. The new guidebook provides background on the changing priorities in transportation performance management, how some transportation agencies are already incorporating measures of access into their programs, and discusses the data and tools available to support measuring it. This guidebook might also be useful to elected and civic leaders, policymakers, and stakeholders who wish to work with transportation agencies to address these important priorities.