Complete Streets policies have spread through the country as change often does, starting off slowly and then accelerating. We’re at that acceleration point now. In just the few short years since we coined the term Complete Streets and created our broad-based Coalition, we have shifted the way millions of Americans think about how streets should serve the people using them. Thanks to our efforts, almost 200 communities, states and localities now have complete streets policies in place.
Your help has made a difference but our acceleration won’t last long, unless our friends and supporters help us Seize the Moment and invest further in the National Complete Streets Coalition to create lasting change. We are counting on all of our supporters to reach our goal of raising an additional $20,000 this year from our annual appeal, and we hope that you will make your tax-deductible gift today.
We’ve added a new Individual Partner category to further expand our Coalition (see below), and we are thanking all new Partners with a new benefit: “Dinner with Dan” on January 25 in Washington, DC (during the TRB Annual Meeting), an opportunity for an intimate conversation with Dan Burden, the internationally recognized authority on walkable communities, livability, sustainability and Smart Growth. At this dinner at the elegant New Heights restaurant just steps from the two main conference hotels, Dan will be talking about “Seizing the Moment for Complete Streets: transforming our communities from the ground up!”
By signing up as a new Partner, you will receive complementary seats at this dinner to talk with Dan about the next frontier in Complete Streets and learn about his new ideas that, in his words, “will cause the Earth to tremble a bit, and perhaps breathe a slight sigh of relief.”
Even if you can’t join us in DC during TRB, we hope you will consider becoming a Platinum, Gold, Silver or Bronze Partner today or making your tax-deductible gift to support the work of the Coalition. You gift will make it possible for us to intensify our efforts and bring effective Complete Streets policies to half the states and 200 local jurisdictions. We will do so by:
- Helping communities get it right—We are planning to dramatically expand our program to help ensure effective policy adoption and implementation through individual coaching workshops, and development of new web resources. Activists and experts depend on our expertise as they strategize to bring complete streets policies into practice.
- Spreading the word—We are working to raise our public profile with intensive work with traditional and new media to support our federal campaign, sustain our momentum, and leverage communities’ desire to be recognized for their Complete Streets efforts.
- Developing a performance evaluation system—We are providing communities with the tools they need to measure how far they’ve come in transforming their transportation planning practices, to ensure that their Complete Streets policies are effective and lead to real change on the ground.
All of these Seize the Moment steps build on the many successes we had have had in the past year, such as:
- The passage of Complete Streets laws in three states, bringing the total number of states with complete streets legislation to 14.
- The publication of Complete Streets: Best Policy and Implementation Practices in cooperation with the American Planning Association, providing thousands of planners and engineers with a comprehensive new resource.
- The advance of Complete Streets by the US Department of Transportation, via a strong new bicycle and pedestrian policy and numerous publications, presentations, and meetings led by top DOT and Federal Highway Administration officials.
We’ve also added one new feature to give individuals a chance to be recognized for their passionate support of safer streets and healthy, livable communities: Our new Individual Partner level ($250 annually). At this level, you can demonstrate your support, receive your ticket for Dinner with Dan, and you’ll receive a special Partner packet in the mail, which includes a colorful reflective decal and a copy of the American Planning Association’s Complete Streets: Best Policy and Implementation Practices report (a $60 value). Help us seize the moment and create lasting change by becoming an Individual Partner.
Thank you in advance for your support of the National Complete Streets Coalition. While this letter has celebrated our success, we have been achieving all this on a shoestring – and frankly we won’t be able to ramp up to seize the moment unless we can bring in more resources. We are counting on you to join us so that we can ensure that all the gradual steps come together to create streets that work for everyone. Thank you for your help.