Although nearly 500 localities around the U.S. have created complete streets policies, there is no federal mandate that they do so. That may soon change if a bipartisan bill introduced last week in the House of Representatives is passed.
"At a briefing yesterday on Capitol Hill, representatives of the National Complete Streets Coalition made the case for national standards for complete streets policies," reports Olivia Starr, the APA's Government Affairs Associate. "This is one of the central proposals of the Safe Streets Act of 2013 [PDF] (H.R. 2468), also introduced yesterday by Reps. Matsui (D-CA) and Joyce (R-OH)."
"The Safe Streets Act would require that each state and metropolitan planning organization adopt a complete streets policy within two years that ensures all new federally-funded transportation projects accommodate the safety and convenience of all users," explains Starr. "The bill defines transportation projects as road construction and road modification projects, including design, planning, construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation, maintenance, and operations."
"In her statement at the briefing, Rep. Matsui said that 'we are changing our lifestyle. We also need to change our roads.' She added that her primary motivation for supporting a set of national complete streets policy standards is improving safety for all transportation system users."
FULL STORY: House Bill Proposes National Complete Streets Policy Standards

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Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

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Report: Zoning Reforms Should Complement Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan
Without reform, restrictive zoning codes will limit the impact of the city’s planned transit expansion and could exclude some of the residents who depend on transit the most.

Judge Orders Release of Frozen IRA, IIJA Funding
The decision is a victory for environmental groups who charged that freezing funds for critical infrastructure and disaster response programs caused “real and irreparable harm” to communities.
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