Better safety and multimodal ease are not the only benefits offered by complete streets. According to this report, on the average they pay for themselves and then some.

Since the town of Normal in Illinois adopted a complete streets approach, business and walkability have skyrocketed. Laura Searfoss writes, "Today, more than 40 percent of all trips in Uptown Normal are by foot or bicycle. Since these improvements, it experienced a boost in retail sales (46 percent) and attracted more than $160 million in private investment." The Complete Streets project cost Normal $47 million.
While the safety and livability benefits of complete streets are intangible, redesign for multiple modes can also make sound business sense. A recent report from Smart Growth America makes the economic case for investment in complete streets. Arguments include:
- Safer streets protect human life, but they also save a city money: "Each collision that a safer street helps to avoid represents avoided costs from emergency room visits, hospital charges, rehabilitation, and doctor visits, as well as the cost of property damage."
- Complete streets, on average, don't strain public coffers: "The average cost of a project was just $2.1 million—far less than the $9 million average cost of projects in state transportation improvement plans."
- Arteries with complete streets engineering attract greater private investment, boosting tax revenue and land value.
FULL STORY: Complete Streets Are a Bargain

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program
Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

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

Canada vs. Kamala: Whose Liberal Housing Platform Comes Out on Top?
As Canada votes for a new Prime Minister, what can America learn from the leading liberal candidate of its neighbor to the north?

Paris Voters Approve More Car-Free Streets
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo says the city will develop a plan to close 500 streets to car traffic and add new bike and pedestrian infrastructure after a referendum on the proposal passed with 66 percent of the vote.

Making Mobility More Inclusive
A new study highlights the challenges people with disabilities continue to face in navigating urban spaces.

Texas Bills Could Push More People Into Homelessness
A proposal to speed up the eviction process and a bill that would accelerate enforcement of an existing camping ban could make the state’s homelessness crisis worse, advocates say.
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