HomeMy WebLinkAboutCitizen Statements Smart Growth America �` � National Complete
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IMPLEMENTING COMPLETE STREETS
Sustainable Complete Streets
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This street is welcoming for pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit while maintaining plentiful street greenery.
Photo:Dan Burden, Walkable and Livable Communities Institute.
Communities across the country are realizing the 'green' potential of their streets. Making our
transportation system more sustainable involves many policies and practices that minimize
environmental impact and create streets that are safe for everyone, regardless of age, ability, or
mode of transportation. Complete Streets are a natural complement to sustainability efforts,
ensuring benefits for mobility, community, and the environment.
Many elements of street design, construction, and operation can work in favor of achieving both
Complete Streets that work for all travelers and `green' streets that serve environmental
sustainability. Of particular concern are drainage and stormwater runoff issues too common in
traditional streets. Optimal stormwater management looks beyond simply removing rainfall as
quickly as possible, which risks negative environmental impacts associated with both stormwater
quality and quantity, like polluted runoff, sedimentation, and bank erosion. Instead it focuses on
efforts to retain and treat-or even eliminate- runoff at the source through cost-effective green
infrastructure,' improving water quality and complementing Complete Streets efforts.
Pavement
Wide streets are problematic for mobility and ecology-they can be unpleasant or, worse, unsafe,
for anyone traveling along or across via foot or bicycle and the large swaths of impervious
pavement necessitate expensive drainage and treatment systems that can have harmful effects on
water quality and quantity. Drainage facilities can affect pedestrians, bicyclists, and public
transportation users in various ways as well. Poorly maintained systems create puddles that splash
pedestrians and those waiting in bus shelters and that are hazards for bicyclists, hiding potential
cracks that could spell rough spills.
When a Complete Streets policy is carefully followed, considering community context and needs,
the issues of too-wide streets can be addressed while also increasing access for all travelers. Many
communities are narrowing travel lanes, swapping one automobile lane for two bike lanes (a `road
diet'), or taking other measures to provide safe space for bicyclists, pedestrians, and public
transportation -without widening roads. In some cases, this can mean including only one
sidewalk, as it did on residential 2nd Avenue in Seattle, Washington where a relatively low volume
of pedestrians and slow vehicular speeds made this solution possible.2 Some cities are investing in
pervious surfaces, such as pervious asphalt and concrete, pervious pacers, and reinforced gravel
pacing, can be used on Complete Streets once it has been determined the surfaces will not
compromise pedestrian and bicyclist access and safety. Furthermore, communities can look to
maximize pavement albedo (reflectivity) to reduce the urban heat island effect, improve air quality,
increase pavement durability, and improve nighttime illumination.'
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An example of green streets, with permeable surfaces and buffer vegetation. Left:Brandon Milar, Cantor na
Asphalt Pavement Association. Right:Dan Burden, Walkable and Livable Communities Institute
Landscaping
Landscaping elements that help curb stormwater runoff-bioswales, planters, rain gardens, and
street trees-are mutually beneficial for mobility and ecology. Such green elements are increasingly
found to be important deterrents of crashes and injuries, and contribute to a more comfortable and
visually interesting environment for all users.4 When redesigning streets, project managers can
include plants and trees (most likely requiring amended soils) to clean runoff and manage
stormwater at the site. Traffic-calming elements like chicanes, islands, and curb extensions- all
popular in creating Complete Streets-provide site opportunities for bioswales, street trees, and
rain gardens.
Centrally located in Seattle, the Taylor 28 residential mixed-use project included a zero-discharge
streetscape with each planting area serving as a rain garden. Curb extensions are home to some
of these rain gardens, and also help to slow traffic, allowing bicyclists a safer ride. Numerous trees
reduce the heat island effect and offset CO2, while widened sidewalks and increased pedestrian
features make the street friendlier to those walking by.' Such improvements complement the City's
own Complete Streets policy.
National Complete Streets Coalition• 1707 L St. NW Suite 250 •Washington, DC 20036•202-207-3355
Complete Street:
Complete Streets are streets for everyone. They are designed and operated to enable safe
access for all users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and transit riders of all ages and
abilities. Complete Streets make it easy to cross the street, walk to shops, and bicycle to work.
Benefits of complete streets:
1. Improve health — people moving about
2. Safety— reduce adversarial bicycle/car interactions, better pedestrian crosswalks
3. Equity- good for children, the elderly and those who are less mobile
4. Lower transportation costs
5. Good for the environment
6. Economic revitalization
7. Create livable communities
National Complete Streets Coalition - resources
https://sma rtgrowtha merica.org/tag/com plete-streets-basic-resources/
Complete Streets: Creating Safe, Accessible, Healthy Communities
Fulton County, Georgia (4 minutes and 42 seconds)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWVksSi0OJw
Complete Streets: A Community Story, Alexandria, MN (6 minutes and 32
seconds)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZkEZ3kJfFM
East Central Wisconsin
Regional Planning Commission
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May 5, 2017
Dear Colleague,
I am pleased to invite you to the East Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission's(ECWRPC)
Complete Streets Policy Development Workshop at the UW Oshkosh Alumni Welcome and Conference
Center on June 13-June 14,2017.
This workshop is offered at no charge through a grant to Smart Growth America from the Environmental
Protection Agency's Office of Sustainable Communities and subsequent award for technical assistance to the
ECWRPC. We are one of only six such program awards across the nation and are pleased to offer you this
opportunity. ECWRPC is inviting a group of key stakeholders to this important workshop,where we will
discuss the creation of a Complete Streets policy for the region and for the Metropolitan Planning
Organizations (MPOs)in the East Central region.
Complete Streets is an approach to transportation planning,design, operations,and maintenance that provides
safe,comfortable,and convenient, access for people of all ages and abilities,whether walking,bicycling,
riding public transportation,or driving.
National experts Emiko Atherton and John Robert Smith(bios attached)from Smart Growth America will
facilitate this interactive workshop.Together,participants will:
1. Learn about the basics of the Complete Streets concept and its positive impacts in other communities;
2. Discuss policy formulation strategies that fit your community's needs;
3. Examine implementation tools and approaches that will help ensure success
The workshop will take place on June 13th from 3-5pm and on June 14`'from 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. at the
location below.
UW Oshkosh Alumni Welcome and Conference Center,Ballroom A
625 Pearl Avenue(see attached map-parking is free!),Oshkosh,WI 54901
Lunch will be catered in on June 14`h and we will need to charge$15 per person(payable the day of)to offset
the cost of the meal.
Please reserve your spot by responding no later than May 25,2017. If you cannot attend,please consider
sending an alternate so that your community doesn't miss out on this important information.You may register
at http://wwW.ecwEpc.org/2017/05/02/register-now-complete-streets-workshop/
or direct any questions about the workshop to Kim Biedermann,Regional Bicycle and Pedestrian
Coordinator at kbiedermann(&ecwrpc.org or at 920.751.4770 x 6833.
Thank you and we look forward to seeing you June 13 and June 14!
Sincerely,
Eric W.Fowle,AICP
East Central builds relationships and cooperative, visionary growth strategies that keep our region beautiful, healthy, and prosperous.
400 Ahnaip Street, Suite 100 • Menasha, Wisconsin 54952 • PHONE 920.751 .4770 • www.ecwrpc.org
Executive Director
Emiko Atherton is the Director of the National Complete Streets Coalition, a program of Smart
Growth America. Emiko joined the Coalition in October 2015 after working in Seattle, WA on
transportation,public health, land use, and economic development issues. Most recently, she served
as the Chief of Staff for a King County Councilmember in Washington State. In that role,Emiko
worked closely with local and state governments, federal agencies and Congress, and MPO's on
policy development and implementation, coalition building, and transportation planning. This
included engagement on Puget Sound Regional Council's long-term transportation plan,
Transportation 2040; the development of pedestrian and bicycle connections to Sound Transit's line
rail stations in underserved communities; the integration of public health goals into the region's
transportation and land use plan; and working with a diverse range of stakeholder to include equity
goals into King County's strategic plan for transportation. Emiko received her Master's in Public
Administration from Evans School of Public Policy and Governance at the University of
Washington.
John Robert Smith is chair of Transportation for America and policy advisor for Smart Growth
America. He served for 16 years as mayor of Meridian, MS,whose Union Station, his signature
project, is recognized as one of the best multi-modal transportation centers in the country. Having
served as a mayor of a city with a wealth of late 19th century buildings,he worked with developers
to restore those buildings, and is a strong advocate for historic preservation,believing that each
community must respect its past and play to its strengths in order to develop and maintain a strong
community identity.He helped define Meridian's role as a cultural center with the restoration of the
Grand Opera House of Mississippi,the creation of the Riley Education and Performing Arts Center,
and the selection of Meridian as the site for the Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Center.
Additionally,he secured$17 million in HUD HOPE VI funding to develop low- and middle-income
housing.
Climate
Of course, Complete Streets make their most basic contribution to green streets by providing
space along the right-of-way for low-emission travel. In the United States, transportation is a
significant source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions- in fact, it accounted for 28 percent of total
U.S. GHG emissions in 2006. The largest source of transportation GHG emissions is personal cars
and trucks.6 Complete Streets policies are an essential tool in providing transportation choices
beyond the personal automobile. Walking and bicycling for the shortest trips (less than 1 mile),
rather than taking a car, could reduce CO2 emissions-a major GHG- by 12 to 22 million tons per
year in the U.S.' Replace the car with walking and biking for longer trips (1-3 miles), and the CO2
savings come to 9 to 23 million tons annually. Add in the benefits of access to public transportation
ridership-which is already cutting CO2 by 37 million metric tons every year- and the
environmental benefits of Complete Streets are astounding.$
Complete Streets, in conjunction with green infrastructure, is a tremendous opportunity to improve
the livability of our communities, both now and for future generations.'
Learn more at www.smartgrowthamerica.org/completestreets.
1 Green Infrastructure,as defined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,involves"an array of products,
technologies,and practices that use natural systems-or engineered systems that mimic natural processes-to
enhance overall environmental quality and provide utility services.As a general principal, Green Infrastructure
techniques use soils and vegetation to infiltrate,evapotranspirate,and/or recycle stormwater runoff."
2 "Street Edge Alternatives(SEA Streets)Project: Street Improvements."City of Seattle.http/bit ly/SEASidewalks.
3 ,Cool Pavements."The Heat Island Group at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
http://eetd.lbl.gov/heatisland/pavements/
4 Dumbaugh, E. (2005). "Safe Streets, Livable Streets."Journal of the American Planning Association,Volume 71-3
(pp 283-300).
5 To learn more about Taylor 28,visit the project website at http://mithun.com/projects/project-detail/taylor-28/
6 "Transportation's Role in Climate Change."Transportation and Climate Change Clearing House, U.S. Department of
Transportation.http://climate.dot.gov/about/transportations-role/overview.htm1
7 Gotschi,T.and Mills, K, (2008).Active Transportation for America: The Case for Increased Federal Investment in
Bicycling and Walking. Rails-to-Trails Conservancy.
httr)://www.railstotrails.org/ourWork/advocacy/activeTransportation/makingTheCase/index.html
8 Baily, L., Mokhtarian P., &Little,A. (2008). "The Broader Connection between Public Transportation, Energy
Conservation,and Green House Gas Redution." ICF International for the American Public Transportation
Association. http://www.apta.com/research/info/online/land-use.cfm
9 For more information on all things Green Streets, please refer to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's
"Managing Wet Weather with Green Infrastructure"website at www.epa.gov/greeninfrastructure
National Complete Streets Coalition• 1707 L St. NW Suite 250•Washington,DC 20036• 202-207-3355