National Complete Streets Coalition examines and scores Complete Streets policies each year, comparing adopted policy language to the ideal. Ideal policies refine a community’s vision for transportation, provide for many types of users, complement community needs, and establish a flexible project delivery approach necessary for an effective Complete Streets process and outcome. In 2014, more then 70 jurisdictions adopted Complete Streets policies.
In 2013, more than 80 communities adopted Complete Streets policies. These laws, resolutions and planning and design documents encourage and provide for the safe access to destinations for everyone, regardless of age, ability, income or ethnicity, and no matter how they travel. Nationwide, a total of 610 jurisdictions now have Complete Streets policies in place. Today, 27 states as well as the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia have Complete Streets policies. Fifty-one regional planning organizations, 48 counties and 482 municipalities in 48 states also have adopted such policies.
Indianapolis, IN had the highest scoring Complete Streets policy of 2012. Photo by Ian Freimuth via Flickr.
More than 80 communities passed Complete Streets policies in 2013, and on February 18, Smart Growth America’s National Complete Streets Coalition will unveil which ones were the best.
Each year, the Coalition analyzes Complete Streets policies enacted in the past year. These laws, resolutions, executive orders, policies and planning and design documents encourage and provide safe access to destinations for everyone, regardless of age, ability, income, ethnicity or how they travel.
Join us for an online event to celebrate this year’s best policies and to hear how communities everywhere can create streets that are safer and more convenient for everyone who uses them.
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Announcing the best Complete Streets policies of 2012 — In a report out last week, the National Complete Streets Coalition, a program of Smart Growth America, examined all the Complete Streets policies passed in the last year and highlighted some of the best. Leading the pack is Indianapolis, which adopted a Complete Streets ordinance in August. “We’re very proud of our efforts in the past few years to make Indianapolis more walkable, bikeable and connected. The strength of our Complete Streets plan is its clear commitment to achieving a vibrant, healthy city,” said Mayor Greg Ballard. “Now, we’re working to make our plan a reality with safe and accessible transportation options for all residents.” Read more >>
Downtown Hermosa Beach, CA, home to one of the top 10 best Complete Streets policies of 2012. Photo via Wikimedia.
On Monday, the National Complete Streets Coalition released its annual analysis of the best Complete Streets policies of the past year. The 10 diverse communities with the best policies of the year include three California cities in the Los Angeles metro area: Hermosa Beach, Huntington Park, and Rancho Cucamonga. Hermosa Beach and Huntington Park tied for second place on our list of top policies, and Rancho Cucamonga came in at number 10.
Part of their success stems from an initiative to improve public health through better street design across the entire Los Angeles region. With the help of federal funds, the Los Angeles Department of Public Health launched its RENEW Los Angeles County initiative, which significantly supported communities that wanted to focus on multimodal, sustainable, equitable transportation. Other public health funds including through the Healthy Kids Healthy Communities program run by Active Living by Design, provided support to other communities in the region.
The Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission in Dayton, OH was one of the communities honored in last year’s analysis. Photo via MVRPC.
Each year the National Complete Streets Coalition takes a look back at the Complete Streets policies passed in the past year, and highlights some of the best. Our analysis of 2012’s policies will be coming out next week – here’s a sneak peek of what’s in the report.
How many policies were passed last year? In the past year we’ve mentioned many communities’ new Complete Streets policies on our blog. Next week’s report will take a comprehensive look at all the policies passed in 2012.
In 2012 nearly 130 communities adopted Complete Streets policies. These laws, resolutions, executive orders, policies and planning and design documents encourage and provide safe access to destinations for everyone, regardless of age, ability, income, ethnicity or how they travel. In total, 488 Complete Streets policies are now in place nationwide, at all levels of government. Statewide policies are in place in 27 states as well as the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. Forty-two regional planning organizations, 38 counties and 379 municipalities in 48 states, that allow everyone, no matter how they travel, to safely use the roadway. The policies passed in 2012 comprise more than one quarter of all policies in place today.
