Shared Spaces and Health Equity: Lessons from a Pandemic

Activity-friendly streets, public spaces, and active transportation options became critical components of our daily lives during the COVID-19 crisis, providing avenues for physical activity, accessing essential needs and being outdoors safely. But vulnerability during and the burden of the pandemic was not spread evenly across our communities. This field scan explores how decision-makers did (or did not) account for existing inequities in their emergency responses and identifies common barriers and lessons for the future.

Complete Streets Transportation

Seeking our next round of local elected champions for Complete Streets

Applications are open for the third round of the Active People, Healthy NationSM Champions Institute, an opportunity for local elected officials to gain the knowledge needed to effectively advocate for safer and more Complete Streets hosted by Smart Growth America (SGA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity.

Complete Streets

Complete Streets safety demonstration project: Wenatchee, WA

With the use of a pop-up event that pulled in local stakeholders and a well thought-out  engagement strategy, a small city with a history of successful quick-build Complete Streets projects gained a better understanding of community goals and created a strong case  for funding a project to improve safety and health outcomes. 

Complete Streets

Understanding the FHWA’s recent Complete Streets report and its role in transforming roadway safety and design

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) recently issued a report to Congress outlining the agency’s commitment to using Complete Streets as its default approach to funding and designing roadways, as well as the agency’s ongoing challenges and opportunities in advancing safety and reducing traffic injuries and fatalities. This is an important step forward, especially when combined with a newly established Complete Streets hub and additional roadway design guidance.

Complete Streets Transportation

Success stories from three of our Champions Institute alumni

Graduates of Smart Growth America’s inaugural Active People, Healthy Nation Champions Institute are using what they learned to advocate for Complete Streets and safer activity-friendly routes to everyday destinations across the country. After completing the institute in 2020, Councilmember Sallie Alcorn from Houston, TX, Mayor Robyn Tannehill from Oxford, MS, and Mayor Jerry Martin from Alma, … Continued

Complete Streets

Complete Streets safety demonstration project: Arlington, WA

In a small but suburbanizing city on the extreme northern edge of metro Seattle, a temporary pedestrian crossing and median refuge helped improve safety, reduce speeds, educate residents and drivers about the importance of slower speeds and better walking access, and spark important conversations about the future of the community in Arlington, WA.

Complete Streets Transportation

Complete Streets safety demonstration project: Airway Heights, WA

Airway Heights, WA deployed their safety demonstration project on a key north-south connector in the city that abuts the town’s only school and a public park, generating excitement in the community and creating new safe spaces for people to gather during the pandemic.

Complete Streets Transportation

Complete Streets + COVID-19

Across the country, communities and people have been adapting to life amidst COVID-19. The National Complete Streets Coalition is committed to advancing transportation systems that provide safe access for all users of all ages and abilities. We want to share and uplift strategies communities are using to respond to the unique circumstances brought on by … Continued

Complete Streets

FHWA Complete Streets report lays out an actionable path for transforming street design to prevent unnecessary deaths and injuries

After the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and USDOT issued a report to Congress this week about Complete Streets, Beth Osborne, Vice President of Transportation at Smart Growth America—the home of the National Complete Streets Coalition— issued a statement.

Complete Streets Transportation