MACOG launches a new, unified approach to Complete Streets — We’re working alongside the Michiana Area Council of Governments to provide technical assistance to communities throughout the Michiana region. For the first time, we are helping an MPO run a competitive application process for Complete Streets workshops on policy development and implementation. To kick off this work, we traveled to North Central Indiana to meet with local leaders. Read more about our experiences and this new model for technical assistance.
Rethinking First & Last Mile: Transit-Driven Complete Streets — Last month, the American Public Transportation Association and Michael Baker International joined us to discuss how Complete Streets can provide vital connections to transit to solve the first-mile/last-mile problem. You can watch the full recording of the webinar on our blog and learn more about how cities around the country have integrated Complete Streets into their transit system redesigns.
Missed any of our previous webinars? — Recordings of all the webinars in our Implementation & Equity 201 series are available on our blog, along with links to additional resources. So far, we’ve explored the intersections between Complete Streets and public health, economic development, Vision Zero, walkability, and stormwater management.
Send us your policies — Has your community passed a new Complete Streets policy? The National Complete Streets Coalition is collecting city, county, regional, and state policies for documentation in our Policy Atlas and Inventory and our Best Complete Streets Policies reports. For inclusion in these resources, please send a PDF copy of your policy to [email protected].
Free assistance opportunity for innovative state DOTs — Accelerating Practical Solutions is an opportunity for six state DOTs to win a one-day workshop with our expert transportation staff. Our staff will facilitate a discussion on best practices related to better project delivery to meet community goals and be cost-effective, and will help staff and stakeholders identify barriers and gaps in current practices. This program is made possible by the Governors’ Institute on Community Design, a program of Smart Growth America. Applications are now open, and will be accepted until August 1, 2017.
A new unified home for State Smart Transportation — We are excited to announce a new partnership that will take our Innovative DOT work to the next level. We are merging our state transportation work with the State Smart Transportation Initiative (SSTI) to create a unified home for innovative transportation strategies. The SSTI team will bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise in transportation policy to our work. We are incredibly excited about this new partnership and warmly welcome the SSTI team to our work. We look forward to collaborating together.
Join LOCUS tomorrow for a crash course on federal TOD financing programs —Many transit-oriented development projects are made possible with the help of financing from federal government programs. The details of those programs, however, are tougher to understand. What programs might your development project be eligible for? What time of year do applications open, and when are awards announced? And what do some of the most popular programs look for in applications? Join Smart Growth America’s LOCUS team tomorrow, Thursday July 20 at 1:00 PM EDT for a free webinar that will answer all these questions and more.
NACTO releases Urban Street Stormwater Guide — Developed through a first-of-its-kind collaboration between city transportation, public works, and water departments, NACTO’s Urban Street Stormwater Guide provides practitioners, leaders, and other advocates with the tools to design streets for successful stormwater management. It shows how green stormwater infrastructure can bolster strategies to provide a safe and pleasant walking and biking experience, and safer streets for all users. You can view the guide online or purchase it through Island Press. Contact [email protected]for a discount code!
We’re hiring! — Smart Growth America is seeking motivated individuals to join our team. We have several positions open, including a Policy Director, an Outreach Director, a Content Associate, and a Policy Intern. Visit our websiteto explore these roles and find out if you, or someone you know, would be a good fit for any of these opportunities.
City Councilman Ryan Dorsey has introduced new Complete Streets legislation for Baltimore, MD. The legislation requires the city’s transportation department to “ensure equity by eliminating health, economic, and access disparities.” In introducing the legislation, Dorsey told fellow council members that city government has for too long prioritized car travel over other forms of transportation. “We have communities in which 70 and 80 percent of households lack access to cars, but we use our public resources … primarily for cars,” he said. “This bill is about building a Baltimore City that works for everybody who lives in it.”
A partnership of health advocacy organizations in Grant County, KYis helping make streets safer for all users. The Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky provided matching grants and training to seven multi-sector community health coalitions to support policies that are proven to lead to healthier lifestyles for children, including Complete Streets. “The Foundation grant requirements, training, and other support for changing systems and policy really spurred us to look at how we could improve walkability in our communities,” said Elizabeth Steffer, a health educator with the Northern Kentucky Health Department. “These new policies will lead to behavior changes that will long outlive the grant.”
South Bend, IN is embracing change by launching a new bike share service. LimeBike offers a dockless bike sharing model, which means users don’t have to take bikes to specific places once they’re finished riding. The service fits into South Bend’s Complete Streets initiative where “pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists can coexist peacefully on the streets,” said Mayor Pete Buttigieg. James Turnwald, executive director of the Michiana Area Council of Governments, said there is “a lot of potential here where this could expand across the region.”
Town officials in Jaffrey, NH have completed a set of planning and design guidelines that address the maintenance, layout, and safety of town roads. The guidelines are designed to promote streets that benefit all modes of travel. All town roads are put into five categories – each with its own set of guidelines for things like sidewalks, street furniture, lighting, signage, bicycle lanes, pedestrian crossing, on-street parking, and more. If adopted, the guidleines could also be used to help the town secure grants for various Complete Streets projects.