Complete Streets

The latest developments, events, and resources from the National Complete Streets Coalition:

House majority adopts Smart Growth America’s unified approach to infrastructure

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The House majority’s recent infrastructure proposal finally recognizes what Smart Growth America has been saying for years: We’ll never be able to build and sustain healthy, prosperous and resilient communities without a unified approach to transportation, climate, water, land use, and community development. This is a smart first step, but the details will determine whether or not these investments improve the deep inequities in America, or just make them worse.

Advocacy Complete Streets Economic development LOCUS Resilience Rural Development Transportation

Equitable Complete Streets principles in school communities, webinar recap

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children cutting a ribbon on a new project
Schools are natural places to encourage walking and biking. However, the share of students who walk or bike to school has declined for decades. We recently spoke with Fionnuala Quinn and Margot Ocañas about how to make areas around schools safer for getting around without a car, and help students feel confident and comfortable engaging with the planning process.

Complete Streets

To get America moving, we need safer streets

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Today, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) unveiled their Active People, Healthy NationSM initiative on Capitol Hill focused on improving America’s health through physical activity. But access to safe and reliable active transportation options is critically important to achieving their goals, and many of our roads remain unsafe and inaccessible to people outside of a vehicle. A new off-year update to Dangerous by Design—also released today—shows that the number of people struck and killed or seriously injured while walking, biking, or rolling continues to increase, and that most states are asleep at the wheel.

Complete Streets

Webinar Recap, Complete Streets for healthy living

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This December, we continued our webinar series, Complete Streets 301: Putting people first, with a “Complete Streets for Healthy Living.” We welcomed Trust for America’s Health to talk about their new report, State of Obesity 2019, and how active transportation policy at the federal and state levels can improve the health of all Americans. A recording of the webinar with closed captioning is now available. You can also download a PDF of the presentation or read the brief recap below.

Complete Streets

Three Washington communities selected for Complete Streets Leadership Academy

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The National Complete Streets Coalition is working with Washington-based partners to launch our first ever Complete Streets Leadership Academy. After a competitive application process, the cities of Wenatchee, Airway Heights, and Arlington have been selected to participate in this program to support safer, healthier streets.

Complete Streets

How can the change coming to suburbs be harnessed for good?

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The notion of the suburbs is nestled deeply in the collective imagination in America, but as we wrote recently, “the suburbs of today aren’t necessarily the suburbs of yesteryear.” In a future that is increasingly urban, where suburbs are rapidly changing, what changes should they consider to stay prosperous and resilient? 

Complete Streets Economic development Form-Based Codes LOCUS Transportation Uncategorized

Why I support the Complete Streets Act

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On October 25, 2019, U.S. Representative Steve Cohen convened a roundtable about Complete Streets in his district, which includes most of Memphis, TN. Local advocates and people from the city, county, and state government attended to discuss the Complete Streets Act of 2019—legislation sponsored by Rep. Cohen—and other ways the federal government could assist communities creating streets that are safer for people biking, walking, or rolling. Below are comments from Sylvia Crum, the Commute Options Program Manager at Innovate Memphis, who spoke during the roundtable.

Advocacy Complete Streets
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