Building consensus: Congress takes on zoning

On April 28, 2023, SGA attended the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs in their hearing, “Building Consensus to Address Housing Challenges.” At the hearing, senators recognized the housing crisis and the need to address it, and witnesses testified to various approaches to solving housing problems and delivering more much-needed housing affordable to … Continued

Land Use and Development

Tucson: Complete Streets is about more than pavement

Starting in the early 2010s, Tucson’s Living Streets Alliance organized to change the city’s uncomfortable, unsafe streets. After successfully advocating for pedestrian safety and walkability projects to be included in a county-wide bond package, the organization used their newfound momentum to pursue a Complete Streets policy.

Complete Streets Transportation

The state of Complete Streets policies, and the need for more progress

Adopting a Complete Streets policy is a crucial first step to reducing traffic violence, improving health equity, responding to the climate crisis, and rectifying a long history of inequitable transportation practices. The new 2023 Best Complete Streets Policy report spotlights the communities that have taken that first step and outlines how they made it happen.

Complete Streets Transportation

Joplin, MO: The key to getting a Complete Streets policy passed? People

The mid-sized city of Joplin is one of nine cities in Missouri to pass a top ranking Complete Streets policy in this report. To get there, a committee of city staff relied on support from every level—from a diverse set of local advocates, to statewide Complete Streets champions, to national technical assistance programs.

Complete Streets Transportation

Howard County (MD): A collaborative effort to create Complete Streets

Howard County, Maryland carved out an identity of its own as it developed from a once largely rural county to a locus of suburban and urban growth between Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, MD. A groundswell of local advocacy for safer streets, paired with philanthropic support and county leadership, resulted in one of the strongest Complete Streets policies the Coalition has seen.

Complete Streets Transportation

Join Us: Best Complete Streets Policies 2023 Webinar

Join us for a webinar on May 24, 2023 at 12:30pm ET to hear directly from the advocates and practitioners across the country who helped pass some of the strongest Complete Streets policies of the last four years.  Not all Complete Streets policies are created equal—our Best Complete Streets Policies 2023 report spotlights the strongest … Continued

Complete Streets

T4A comments on Model Minimum Uniform Crash Criteria (MMUCC) Guidelines

On May 3, Transportation for America, a program of SGA, submitted comments in response to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) request for improvements to the Model Minimum Uniform Crash Criteria (MMUCC) Guidelines. The MMUCC guidelines provide recommendations to state and local agencies on the collection of crash data, specifically looking at the variables … Continued

Advocacy Complete Streets

Camaraderie, Curiosity, and Cats: SGA Team visits San Leandro for Complete Streets Leadership Academy

By Marian Liou, Director of Arts and Culture Members of the SGA team were in San Leandro, California last week as part of the Complete Streets Leadership Academies (CSLA). California is one of 4 states chosen to participate in the CSLA program, which includes a series of virtual seminars and a two-day in-person workshop. The … Continued

Complete Streets

Anti-displacement fact sheets for communities undergoing brownfields redevelopment

In partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization, Smart Growth America (SGA) created a set of fact sheets that highlight strategies communities can use to help mitigate displacement in the contexts of brownfields redevelopment. SGA conducted interviews with community groups and municipal leaders from across the country to learn … Continued

Land Use and Development