Last week, the National Complete Streets Coalition released The Best Complete Streets Policies of 2016, our annual review of the best Complete Streets policies of the last year.
As of the end of 2016, more than 1,200 jurisdictions in the United States have made formal commitments to streets that are safe and convenient for everyone—no matter their age, income, race, ethnicity, physical ability, or how they choose to travel—by passing a Complete Streets policy.
More of these policies were passed in 2016 than in any previous year—a total of 222 new policies. Not only that, this year’s policies were the strongest ever passed. The median policy score this year was 80.8, up from 68.4 last year. A record 51 policies scored a 90 or higher, including three policies that scored a perfect 100.
To accompany the release of the report we hosted a free public webinar to discuss our findings and how communities everywhere can craft and implement strong Complete Streets policies. A recording of the discussion is now available in the video above.
Joining us for the webinar were representatives from the City of Missoula, MT, one of the three communities that passed a top-scoring policy this year, as well as representatives from Warsaw, MO and Richton Park, IL, two of the most diverse communities on this year’s list. Our speakers shared the reasons why each of these communities chose a Complete Streets approach, and how they are putting it in to action.
Thank you to everyone who joined the event! If your community is interested in Complete Streets but needs help with adopting or implementing a policy, learn more about our Complete Streets technical assistance.