Get to know Minnesota Department of Transportation’s new artist-in-residence Sarah Petersen

The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) announced that Sarah Petersen will serve as as the Sustainability and Public Health fellow, an artist-in-residence position at the agency, in a program created by Smart Growth America. Sarah will be taking a fresh look at MnDOT’s goals to promote economic vitality, improve safety, support multimodal transportation systems, and create healthier communities.

Creative Placemaking DOT Innovation

SSTI News: New research on trip-making and accessibility

How can transportation and land use professionals more effectively measure success — especially for transit riders and potential transit users? Two emerging technologies—accessibility metrics and trip-making data from mobile devices—are helping answer the challenging questions of where people are going and how easily they can get there. Connecting Sacramento, a new study from SSTI, puts these methods to the test by identifying and prioritizing first- and last-mile connections to transit.

DOT Innovation

A free assistance opportunity for innovative state DOTs

DOTs across the country are looking for innovative and flexible ways to meet users’ needs in ways that cost less to build and maintain. Accelerating Practical Solutions is an opportunity for six state DOTs to win a one-day workshop with our expert transportation staff.

DOT Innovation

A new unified home for state smart transportation

For the past several years Smart Growth America has been helping state departments of transportation improve safety and reliability, preserve their assets, and accelerate project delivery to expand economic opportunity and create healthier, more livable communities.

Our Innovative DOT program has worked with state DOTs in Florida, Vermont, Hawaii, Michigan, Minnesota, Oregon, and Tennessee. And over those years, we’ve released three editions of The Innovative DOT: A handbook of policy and practice, one of the most comprehensive guides available for DOTs committed to innovative excellence, in partnership with the State Smart Transportation Initiative (SSTI).

DOT Innovation

Strengthening Vermont’s Economy by Integrating Transportation and Smart Growth Policy

The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) and Smart Growth America partnered to demonstrate that policies and programs at VTrans that connect smart growth and transportation will strengthen the state’s economy and support the Agency’s vision for a safe, efficient, and multimodal transportation system. A Project Stakeholder Group, consisting of a broad spectrum of representatives from … Continued

DOT Innovation Technical assistance

Oregon Non-Roadway Transportation Funding Options

The State of Oregon faces major challenges to providing adequate and stable funding for non-roadway transportation modes. These systems include transit, freight and passenger rail, ports, aviation, bicycle paths and facilities, and pedestrian ways. Funding these non-roadway transportation modes has always been difficult in Oregon given that constitutional restrictions limit motor vehicle fees and taxes … Continued

DOT Innovation Technical assistance

Assessing Return on Investment in Minnesota’s State Highway Program: Technical Report

The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) updated the Minnesota 20-Year State Highway Investment Plan (MnSHIP) in 2012-2013. Through the MnSHIP planning process and based on system performance targets, the plan identified total state highway system needs of $30 billion and projected revenue of $18 billion over the next 20 years resulting in a funding gap … Continued

DOT Innovation Technical assistance