Our principles stem from our commitment to actionable, measurable change. It’s high time our federal transportation programs deliver on their promise.
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The Streets Have a Purpose
Complete Streets is an approach to planning, designing, and building streets that enables safe access for all users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, and transit riders of all ages and abilities.
10 Steps to an Ideal Complete Streets Policy
Create a policy that can be implemented at any level of governance, in any type of place
Establishes commitment and vision
How and why does the community want to complete its streets? This specifies a clear statement of intent to create a complete, connected network and consider the needs of all users.
Prioritizes underinvested and underserved communities
Requires jurisdictions to define who are their most underinvested and underserved communities and prioritize them throughout.
Applies to all projects and phases
Instead of a limited set of projects, the policy applies to all new projects, retrofit or reconstruction projects, maintenance projects, and ongoing operations.
Allows only clear exceptions
Any exceptions must be specific, with a clear procedure that requires high-level approval and public notice prior to exceptions being granted.
Mandates coordination
Requires private developers to comply, and interagency coordination between government departments and partner agencies.
Adopts excellent design guidance
Directs agencies to use the latest and best design criteria and guidelines, and sets a time frame for implementing this guidance.
Requires proactive land-use planning
Considers every project’s greater context, as well as the surrounding community’s current and expected land-use and transportation needs.
Measures progress
Establishes specific performance measures that match the goals of the broader vision, incorporate equity considerations, and are regularly reported to the public.
Sets criteria for choosing projects
Creates or updates the criteria for choosing transportation projects so that Complete Streets projects are prioritized.
Creates a plan for implementation
A formal commitment to the Complete Streets approach is only the beginning. It must include specific steps for implementing the policy in ways that will make a measurable impact on what gets built and where.
Who is it for?
Complete Streets are universal. They are designed for everyone: pedestrians, cyclists, drivers, and public transit users of all ages and abilities.
This strategy also considers older adults, people living with disabilities, people who don’t have access to vehicles, and Black, Native, and Hispanic or Latino/a/x communities.
What does it solve?
We’re solving the crisis of Incomplete Streets, roads designed with only cars in mind that are inconvenient and fatal for non-drivers.
This approach also emphasizes the needs of those who have experienced systemic underinvestment or those whose needs have yet to be met through a traditional transportation approach.
Part of our mission is to make this the default across the country.
Serving Historically Marginalized Communities
Find out how Complete Streets drives racial equity by prioritizing communities that have been historically underserved.
Complete Streets is the product of more than a decade of work by Smart Growth America and the National Complete Streets Coalition. Find out more about our affiliate.
Over 1,600 Complete Streets policies have been adopted nationwide. Yet, the fight for uniform safety standards is far from over. Find our more about the effects of policy.
News
Meet Mayor Regina Romero of Tucson, a Complete Streets champion.
My vision for the next 10, 20, 30 years for Tucson is definitely to institutionalize the concept of Complete Streets and mobility. It’s where we have to go.
Tucson transformed from a speed-first city to a safety-first one. Learn how a policy can become a lifesaver.
The National Complete Streets Coalition is a broad collection of advocates and transportation professionals working to enact Complete Streets policies across the country. Joining as a Coalition Partner, an Individual Partner, or a Non-Profit Partner is easy.
