Congress has a chance to get serious about the national epidemic of pedestrian deaths

Last week, the Complete Streets Act of 2019 was introduced in Congress. The bill is the product of more than a decade of work to create safer streets and comes at a time when pedestrian fatalities nationally are at their highest rate in almost three decades.

Tell your members of Congress to support this bill.

The Complete Streets Act is modeled on a landmark law in Massachusetts that set aside money for municipalities to build projects that improved safety for everyone who used the road. But to be eligible for the money, cities and towns were required to pass local Complete Streets policies and create implementation plans. As a result, more than 200 approved policies have been passed in that state. The federal Complete Streets Act would do something similar for the entire country.

On the same day the bill was released, SGA also released an addendum to Dangerous by Design 2019 that ranks the 100 most dangerous congressional districts in the country based on the rate of pedestrian fatalities (pictured above). Rep. Ruben Gallego (AZ-7) represents the most dangerous district in the country, which includes all of downtown Phoenix, Glendale, Tolleson and Laveen. Rep. Gallego was one of the original co-sponsors of the Complete Streets Act in the House, introduced by Rep Cohen (TN-9) and also cosponsored by Representatives Espaillat (NY-13). Sen Markey (MA) introduced the legislation in the Senate with Senators Schatz (HI) and Blumenthal (CT).

See the full list of the most dangerous congressional districts and learn more about the Complete Streets Act of 2019.

GREEN Streets Act directs states to measure (and reduce) driving and emissions

Last week was a big one on Capitol Hill. The GREEN Streets Act was also introduced, which would require states to measure and reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and greenhouse gases (GHGs) in their transportation systems. It's an effort to address the high carbon emissions from the transportation sector—the largest source of greenhouse gases in the U.S.

To reduce VMT and GHGs, states would likely have to employ a variety of strategies, including better transportation options and smarter land use. These strategies come with a host of benefits besides reducing emissions: reduced congestion, lower household transportation costs, safer streets, more attractive communities and better health outcomes.

Congressional oversight of the slow down in federal transit grants

For the past year, Transportation for America has been showing that the U.S. Department of Transportation is undermining the major federal capital program for expanding or improving transit systems. The department releases less—and often misleading— information publicly, refuses to sign funding grants, and is less communicative with local partners than previous administrations. Many cities pursuing such grants have seen their funding inexplicably delayed—as we catalogue in Stuck in the Station—and others have warned that further delays could cost millions.

While our advocacy has led to some changes to legislation nothing has been done to bring this to light in a more public way until now. The U.S. House Subcommittee on Transit & Highways is holding an oversight hearing tomorrow, July 16 at 10 a.m. ET (live stream available) about the administration of transit grants by Trump's DOT. Unfortunately, it appears the committee is poised to miss a big opportunity: they did not invite a transit agency to testify that has actually been impacted by FTA's delays—though a road builders' group (ARTBA) inexplicably was invited.

We'll have more coverage and takeaways after tomorrow's hearing. Stay tuned.

ON THE BLOG

Cities subsidizing sprawl will miss out on the benefits of walkability: Our new Foot Traffic Ahead report shows that walkable neighborhoods are in high demand in all of the country’s biggest metro areas. But the report also shows there's a huge lack of such walkable places, leading to price premiums that make it a challenge for everyone to experience the benefits of living in them. For a look at what this means for communities around the country, read our explainer on the blog >>

Durham, NC makes complete streets improvements: Through the Safe Streets, Smart Cities Academy, Smart Growth America worked with three cities around the country, including Durham, to implement temporary safety demonstration projects. The City of Durham recognized their demonstration project as an opportunity to try out more intensive, inclusive methods of community engagement to reach segments of their community they haven’t connected with in the past and added a crosswalk near a frequently used bus stop. Learn more about this demonstration project and register for the upcoming webinar on the blog >>

Announcing our inaugural Arts, Culture and Transportation Fellows: Transportation for America has selected the fellows for its inaugural Arts, Culture and Transportation Fellowship to help 11 individuals in four cities take their work at the intersection of arts and transportation to the next level. Learn more about the fellows on the blog >>

There’s a reason why Missouri voters twice rejected gas tax increases: Missouri spends more of its transportation budget on building new roads than maintaining its existing roads—23 percent of which are in poor condition. If it did a better job prioritizing maintenance, perhaps it wouldn’t need to ask taxpayers for a bailout. Learn more from Transportation for America >>

Suburban business parks are dead, and six other things we learned at the LOCUS Leadership Summit: Last month’s LOCUS Leadership Summit in Arlington, VA, was a vital gathering, uniting responsible real estate developers and investors with local elected officials and transportation and land-use planners. The summit included a wide range of events like the kick-off of the Massachusetts Opportunity Zones Academy and the presentation of the LOCUS leadership awards. And during the workshops, panels, and sessions, Smart Growth America staff absorbed a few important themes and ideas. Read all seven takeaways the blog >>

Event helps developers learn more about Opportunity Zones: LOCUS Mass and the City of Brockton, MA hosted a LinkUP event in June to bring together development professionals and learn more about key parcels in the city’s Opportunity Zones. Read about the event on the blog >>

A Mississippi community plugs into internet to power up downtown: Natchez, Mississippi has never been connected to the interstate highway system. Now, with help from Smart Growth America, Natchez is revitalizing its historic downtown and also working to connect to the rest of the world through a newer medium: high-speed, broadband internet. Learn more on the blog >>

Announcements

Now Hiring: Thriving Communities Fellow: Smart Growth America seeks a dynamic and passionate individual to support its newest team: Thriving Communities. The Thriving Communities team weaves together complementary disciplines to partner with diverse local leaders to create healthy places where people can prosper.

National Brownfields Leadership Summit this fall: Join Smart Growth America and the Center for Creative Land Recycling this September 17 & 18 in Washington, DC for the next National Brownfields Leadership Summit Planning Meeting. This meeting will help lay the groundwork for educational and advocacy-related actions throughout the year and feature information on newer policy ideas like The REHAB Act and the TOD Act.

Letter urges lawmakers to fully fund transportation this year and rethink the federal transportation program: Transportation for America and more than 200 elected officials and organizations sent a letter to Congress calling on members to use 2020 appropriations and the upcoming surface transportation reauthorization to fundamentally change the federal transportation program.

Headlines

Stories being shared around the Smart Growth America office this week

• Will up-zoning make housing more affordable? (Governing)
• How urban design perpetuates racial inequality—and what we can do about it (Fast Company)
• Americans shouldn’t have to drive, but the law insists on it (The Atlantic)
• Electric cars 'will not solve transport problem,' report warns (BBC)
• Why are US drivers killing so many pedestrians? (City Observatory)
• Another dead cyclist in the city (Deadspin)

ON THE CALENDAR

Connect with SGA staff in all corners of the country

• July 15: COMTO national conference: Intelligent mobility—transforming the future of transportation (Tampa, FL)
• July 17-19: Small-scale manufacturing workshop (Cusick, WA)
• July 19-20: 'Connect to the Future' transit visioning (Normal, IN)
• July 22-26: WSDOT Artist-in-Residence kickoff (Olympia, WA)
• July 25:  Cleveland Club, Land Use and Climate Change (Cleveland, OH)
• July 27: Civic Council of Kansas City Membership Breakfast (Kansas City, MO)
• July 29-Aug 2: MnDOT Artist-in-Residence kickoff (St. Paul, MN)
• August 5-6: Re-envisioning Urban Infrastructure to Address Climate (Boston, MA)
• August 6: NCSL Annual Meeting (Nashville, TN)
• August 6-7: Arts, Culture, and Transportation (ACT) Fellows convening (Washington, DC)
• August 12-16: Rockwood Leadership Institute’s Art of Leadership Program (Chaska, MN)
• August 16-17: 'Connect to the Future' transit visioning (Normal, IN)
• August 19-23: CDC Site Visit—High Obesity Program (Brookings, SD/Fargo, ND)
• September 13-14: APA National Capital Area Chapter conference (Silver Spring, MD)
• September 17-18: National Brownfields Leadership Summit Planning Meeting (Washington, DC)