Complete Streets

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

New workshop available, upcoming congressional briefing – Complete Streets News – June, 2013

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Policy Adoption

On May 21, Hopkins, Minnesota adopted a Complete Streets policy. Hopkins, a densely populated town in the Minneapolis area, will be home to 3 light rail stations in the next few years, Creating safe walking and bicycling connections to those stations are paramount for the city team. The policy draws from national and state best practices, includes specific exemptions and next steps for implementation. Read more >>

The Albany, New York City Council passed Complete Streets legislation on June 3. After two auto-pedestrian accidents in the last year, one of them fatal, community stakeholders and councilmembers want to improve safety for all citizens. “This is about considering all users of the road,” noted Alderwoman Leah Golby, who proposed the law. “It’s time for our code to reflect the way people live today.” The ordinance applies to “all street construction, reconstruction, resurfacing or repaving projects that are undertaken by the City and not covered under the New York State Complete Streets Law.” Read more >>

The Common Council of White Plains, New York adopted a Complete Streets resolution on June 3. The resolution directs the City’s Department of Public Works to “consider all modes of travel within its projects” and includes specific exceptions. Read more >>

Complete Streets Local Leaders Council

Watch the live video stream of tomorrow's Complete Streets briefing on Capitol Hill

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Tomorrow at 2:30 EDT the National Complete Streets Coalition and the Environmental and Energy Study Institute will host a briefing for members of Congress and their staff about national and local trends in Complete Streets policies, and how a fiscally-sound federal transportation policy can support the creation of safer streets in communities across the country.

Anyone interested in streets that work for everyone, including Complete Streets advocates and design professionals, are invited to listen in and join the discussion. The video below will be live as of 2:20 EDT on Thursday, June 20. Join us here tomorrow to watch the briefing as it happens live.

Complete Streets

Cuyahoga County, OH hosts public workshop on Complete Streets

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[caption id="attachment_29143" align="alignnone" width="700"]Photograph Courtesy OzinOH (via Flickr) Cuyahoga County Courthouse Photograph courtesy OzinOH (via Flickr)[/caption]
Cuyahoga County officials and local residents met with representatives from Smart Growth America on May 1 and 2, 2013 as part of a free, grant-funded technical assistance program. The workshops aimed to give Cuyahoga County strategies to create a built environment that focuses on better and more accessible transportation options for all residents.

“Providing a multi-modal transportation network is a key component to Cuyahoga County’s guiding principles of designing a place-based development strategy. Under the leadership of County Executive Ed Fitzgerald, the County also recognizes the momentum of the City of Cleveland’s efforts to implement a Complete and Green Streets policy and embraces this opportunity to explore the concept of Complete Streets on the regional level,” said Glenn Coyne, Executive Director of the Cuyahoga County Planning Commission.

Complete Streets Technical assistance

Congressional Complete Streets Briefing on June 20

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On June 20 at 2:30 pm, the National Complete Streets Coalition and the Environmental and Energy Study Institute invite you to join local, state and national experts at a Congressional briefing to discuss national and local trends in Complete Streets policies and how a fiscally-sound federal transportation policy can support the creation of safer streets … Continued

Complete Streets Uncategorized

Smart Growth Stories: Resourceful Development in Martin County, FL

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bonitaWhen envisioning ways to create jobs and revitalize business in a community, stormwater and sewer projects might not typically be at the top of the list. But one county in Florida showed that with some creative thinking and a resourceful application of funds, projects that might otherwise seem one-dimensional can go a long way toward building stronger communities.

Planners in Martin County, Florida realized that a stormwater and sewer project on a neglected commercial corridor in the Golden Gate neighborhood of Stuart, FL, was an opportunity not just to provide vital infrastructure, but to spur private investment that would create jobs and help revitalize the neighborhood.

In 2012, the Martin County Redevelopment Agency (CRA) completed the ‘BCD Sewer Project’ referring to Bonita, Clayton and Delmar Streets that were part of the reconstruction. The aim of the project was to increase the availability of basic sewer services in the Golden Gate neighborhood, which relies heavily on septic tanks. The construction would require a near complete replacement of the area roads, so the CRA conducted extensive public outreach to find out what improvements residents would want to see incorporated into a new design.

Complete Streets

Mayor Pro Tem Ed Gonzalez on the promise of a "redone" Houston

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Ed Gonzalez served as a Houston police officer for over 18 years. On the beat, he developed a keen sense of the connection between an active community and a safe one. Now he’s working to create a Houston where more residents can enjoy tight-knit, walkable neighborhoods.

Ed Gonzalez currently serves both as a City Council member and Mayor Pro Tem of Houston, and is a member of Smart Growth America’s Local Leaders Council Advisory Board. Gonzalez notes that many people may not realize that Houston is the fourth largest and most diverse city in America. Gonzalez’s own District H contains a thriving entertainment district, neighborhoods known for historic architecture and landmarks in Texas’ African American and Latino history.

Complete Streets Local Leaders Council

Houston hosts workshop on implementing Complete Streets

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houston picture

Local residents and officials in Houston, TX  met with representatives from Smart Growth America on April 17 and 18, 2013 as part of a free, grant-funded technical assistance program. The workshops aimed to give Houston the tools to develop a Complete Streets policy in their Museum Park Neighborhood, which will lay the foundation for future Complete Streets policies in other neighborhoods throughout the city.

“Museum Park, in partnership with the City of Houston’s Office of Sustainability anticipates that the Complete Streets workshop will take Houston a step closer to achieving a few of Mayor Parker’s stated goals for her second term, such as “sustainable development, public safety, infrastructure and quality of life,” said Kathleen O’Reilly, Vice President of the Museum Park Super Neighborhood. “Museum Park, with its mix of 14 museums, Hermann Park, 3,000 homes, schools, health care, churches and more offers the ideal mix to craft the highest standards for transit and quality of life in Houston. As we launch ReBuild Houston, the timing of this exciting collaborative effort couldn’t be better.”

Complete Streets Technical assistance

Complete Streets News, May 2013

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Policy Adoption On April 22, Montevallo, Alabama (pop. 6,000) adopted a Complete Streets resolution. Over the past several years, city leaders and representatives from the University of Montevallo have worked together to create a vibrant community with transportation options, launching the state’s first bike share system. To ensure that progress continued, city leaders coalesced around … Continued

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Creating streets that work for everyone in Montevallo, AL

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Montevallo, AL
On the campus of Montevallo, AL. Photo by Larry Miller, via Flickr.

This is a guest post written by Ryan Parker, of our coalition partner Conservation Alabama.

Montevallo, AL is preserving its unique blend of college culture and country charm by making intentional decisions about expansion and development.

The small town of 6,000 residents in the heart of Alabama has a vibrant downtown, a Greenway National Recreational Trail, three beautiful parks, an art gallery, and Alabama’s only public liberal arts college, the University of Montevallo.

Over the last several years the City and the University have worked together on projects to make downtown Montevallo an even better place to live and work. “The very best colleges in the country, most of them have lively, attractive downtowns,” said John Stewart III, president of the University of Montevallo. “We literally want Main Street and the campus to blend into one plan.”

Complete Streets

The best policies of 2012 and a bold step forward in Chicago: Complete Streets News, April 2013

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Policy Adoption

Announcing the best Complete Streets policies of 2012 — In a report out last week, the National Complete Streets Coalition, a program of Smart Growth America, examined all the Complete Streets policies passed in the last year and highlighted some of the best. Leading the pack is Indianapolis, which adopted a Complete Streets ordinance in August. “We’re very proud of our efforts in the past few years to make Indianapolis more walkable, bikeable and connected. The strength of our Complete Streets plan is its clear commitment to achieving a vibrant, healthy city,” said Mayor Greg Ballard. “Now, we’re working to make our plan a reality with safe and accessible transportation options for all residents.” Read more >>

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