Smart Growth America, with support from CDC’s Active People, Healthy Nation initiative℠, launched the Complete Streets Leadership Academies in Alaska, California, Connecticut, and Tennessee to equip and train local agencies and state departments of transportation to collaborate, innovate, and commit to making changes together to address safety on these dangerous state-owned roads. Cohorts were selected … Continued
Smart Growth America is working with the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (AKDOT&PF) to bring the Complete Streets approach to the 49th state. I had the incredible opportunity to travel to Alaska in my first month on the Thriving Communities team, where I joined colleagues and collaborators to participate in several events aimed … Continued
By Barbara McCann The term complete streets was coined 20 years ago on December 3rd, 2003. That’s when, working in the private sector, I wrote a memo to the bicycle community about a series of meetings I organized aimed at finding a better term for what was then called the “routine accommodation” of bicycles into … Continued
The way we design and manage our streets holds immense power in shaping our communities. Yet, all too often, we prioritize the movement of cars over the safety and well-being of people. It’s time to challenge this status quo and implement a transformative approach to transportation planning—one that centers around the principles of Complete Streets. … Continued
Because of a mistake by Congress in the 2021 infrastructure law, 40 percent of the new $1 billion-per-year Safe Streets for All program must be directed to planning rather than constructing tangible infrastructure projects. A clarification that the planning grants can support quick-build safety demonstration projects presents an enormous opportunity for cities and towns to directly tap the available $400 million and experiment with low-cost temporary street safety projects.
Smart Growth America, in partnership with CityHealth, created a resource that takes a deep dive into all things Complete Streets. Whether you’re a planner, engineer, advocate, or new to the smart growth space, the Complete Streets story map can serve as an interactive tool that breaks down what makes a Complete Street and why they’re … Continued
Smart Growth America is excited to share the roster of passionate individuals joining our first-ever cohort for Dangerous by Design Technical Assistance (TA). These 15 individuals will build skills around data and storytelling to advance their efforts for safer streets. Read Dangerous by Design 2022 One of the greatest strengths of our cornerstone report Dangerous … Continued
The National Complete Streets Coalition evaluates and scores Complete Streets policies across the country using our Policy Framework. Now, advocates and policymakers can do the same, using our free and open-source tool to evaluate existing or drafted local, MPO, or state-level Complete Streets policies. Complete Streets policies are a community’s formal commitment to fund, plan … Continued
The National Complete Streets Coalition evaluates and scores Complete Streets policies across the country using our Policy Framework. Now, advocates and policymakers can do the same, using our free and open-source tool to evaluate existing or drafted local, MPO, or state-level Complete Streets policies. Not all Complete Streets policies are created equally, that’s why we … Continued
There’s a demand for opportunities to walk, bike, and roll in rural America, but so far our infrastructure has failed to keep pace. While decision-makers attempt to add safety features to transportation projects, they would do well to remember that pedestrian safety and vehicle speed are opposing goals.