A strong Complete Streets policy requires coordination between jurisdictions, agencies, and departments (element #5)

Any number of agencies—city, county, metro region, or state—may be responsible for the streets and sidewalks, often with overlapping authority. This is why the strongest Complete Streets policies clearly define who is responsible, what level of coordination is required, and even when or how outside parties must comply.

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A strong Complete Streets policy adopts excellent design guidance (element #6)

What facilitates the transition from a policy into tangible street designs? To bring a Complete Streets policy to life, engineers need to know how to design these streets in very clear, concrete terms. The best Complete Streets policies will adopt excellent street design guidance that directs and supports practitioners to create an accessible and complete network of streets.

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A strong Complete Streets policy requires proactive and supportive land-use planning (element #7)

Streets don’t exist in a vacuum. They are inextricably connected to the buildings, sidewalks, spaces, homes, businesses, and everything else around them that they serve. The strongest Complete Streets policies require the integration of land-use planning to best sync up with a community’s desires for using and living on their land today and in the future.

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A strong Complete Streets policy measures progress (element #8)

How do you know if your Complete Streets policy is working? You measure it. And then you share the results publicly. A strong Complete Streets policy requires tracking performance measures across a range of categories—including implementation and equity—and making someone responsible for doing it.

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A strong Complete Streets policy sets criteria for choosing projects that prioritizes Complete Streets projects (element #9)

Every local community, region, and state has a process by which they choose which transportation projects to fund and build. A strong Complete Streets policy changes that process by adding new or updated criteria that give extra weight to projects that advance Complete Streets and improve the network.

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New Report: Housing Affordability in Northwest Arkansas 

Northwest Arkansas (NWA) is experiencing a significant and fast paced population growth, and, as a result, housing supply is constrained. A regional approach is needed to sufficiently address this housing crisis and develop a plan to accommodate the population growth throughout the region.  Smart Growth America (SGA) partnered with ULI Northwest (ULI NWA) in a … Continued

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“Complete Streets” are being co-opted to build unsafe streets. Who is at fault?

Saying that the “Complete Streets mindset” is the problem when a transportation agency builds a dangerous high-speed road and calls it a “complete street” is like calling for the repeal of the Clean Air Act when a highway agency claims their widening project will reduce emissions.

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Request for Proposals: SGA Employee Handbook Update

Smart Growth America (SGA) is seeking a human resources consultant (individual consultant or dedicated individual within a small firm) to perform an update of SGA’s employee handbook and provide associated services related to the rollout of the new handbook. The deadline to submit a proposal is April 3, 2023, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. About Smart … Continued

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Request for Proposals: Complete Streets videos

Smart Growth America (SGA) is seeking an experienced videographer to create two videos (one 1-5 minute video, and one 30-60 second short) focusing on the history of Complete Streets work in Wenatchee, WA since passing their Complete Streets policy in 2016. SGA and the National Complete Streets Coalition provide support, advocacy, and technical assistance for … Continued

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