Mammoth infrastructure bill is notable for its powerful precedents and significant shortcomings

The $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill awaiting the president’s signature is notable both for Congress’ most significant commitment yet to address climate change, and its general failure to do anything to fundamentally change the sources of the problem and reach the level of ambition required. This bipartisan infrastructure deal (the IIJA), approved by Congress on November … Continued

Advocacy Climate Change Complete Streets Transportation

More highways, more driving, more emissions: Explaining “induced demand”

Even if we hit the most ambitious targets for changing our cars and trucks over to electric vehicles, we will fail to meaningfully reduce emissions from transportation without confronting this simple fact: new roads always produce new driving. This costly feedback loop referred to as “induced demand” is the invisible force short-circuiting the neverending attempts to eliminate congestion by building or expanding roads.

Climate Change Transportation

20 years, 1600 Complete Streets policies 

Newly released maps show the rapid rate of Complete Streets policy adoption across the country from 2000 to 2020, showing a crystal clear progression of Complete Streets policies across the country. By the end of 2020, almost 1,600 communities across the country had demonstrated their commitment to providing safe access to destinations for everyone, regardless of age, ability, income, race, ethnicity, or mode of travel. 

Complete Streets Transportation

Hear how artists are tackling transportation issues during COVID

In partnership with Forecast Public Art, Smart Growth America held a webinar featuring the artists and transportation agencies who worked together as part of the second round of the Arts & Transportation Rapid Response initiative to address COVID-related transportation challenges.  After Ben Stone, director of Arts & Culture at Smart Growth America, and Mark Salinas, … Continued

Creative Placemaking Transportation

Join our webinar to hear about the Arts & Transportation Rapid Response projects.

The Arts & Transportation Rapid Response is an initiative for transportation agencies looking to creatively and quickly address pandemic-related transportation challenges. Earlier this year, Smart Growth America in partnership with Forecast Public Art selected three artists to work in tandem with partner transit agencies to design and implement projects that address pandemic-related transit challenges and … Continued

Creative Placemaking Transportation

Relaunching the Scenic Route: T4A’s newly updated resource on arts, culture, and transportation

Last week, we hosted a webinar to celebrate the relaunch of our newly updated creative placemaking guide, the Scenic Route. This conversation with Smart Growth America, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the leaders of two projects featured in the guide explains key case studies to help inspire you, and provides an orientation to the new website, which can be found at www.transportation.art. If you asked a question that wasn’t answered in the webinar, we’ve included answers below.

Creative Placemaking Transportation

Three forward-thinking moments from the “Undoing the Damage of Urban Freeways” webinar

For decades, transportation planners planned and built urban freeways that destroyed many communities of color and continue to have devastating economic and environmental effects long after their inception. We’ve rounded up three of most intriguing ideas from the “Undoing the Damage of Urban Freeways” webinar to learn from in future planning:

Transportation

Take the Scenic Route: Mariposa Creek Parkway

One of over 50 case studies included in the newly updated creative placemaking guide, the Scenic Route. Partnering with the Mariposa Arts Council to form a Creative Placemaking Advisory Council, the Mariposa County Planning Department created an artist-led plan to develop a new multi-use trail that celebrates the community’s cultures and ecology.

Creative Placemaking Transportation