Clifton, K., Morrissey, S., Bronstein, S. (2014). The Path to Complete Streets in Underserved Communities: Lessons from U.S. Case Studies. Portland, OR: Portland State University.
This report highlights four jurisdictions that have worked to provide transportation systems that consider the needs of all users: the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, Michigan; the City of Decatur, Georgia; the Metropolitan Planning Organization and City of Nashville, Tennessee; and the City of Portland, Oregon. Each case study highlights the ways in which communities have catered to the transportation disadvantaged through planning, designing, and implementing Complete Streets policies.
The four communities highlighted in this study all have taken steps to implement Complete Streets policies and projects that either target the transportation disadvantaged directly or greatly benefit them. Methods for implementing change included community engagement that targeted transport disadvantaged populations, active public involvement strategies such as community walking audits, and the development of equity-oriented project criteria. These methods helped build support for future projects, and identified priorities based on direct input from community members.
Although the Complete Streets Coalition provides a guide to writing effective Complete Streets policy, there is little research or information on how communities have specifically used Complete Streets policies to serve the transportation disadvantaged. The intent of this report is to provide guidance and teachable lessons to other communities struggling to address the unserved transportation needs of older adults, children, people with disabilities, low income households, and ethnically diverse communities.
This report was funded by Active Living Research through a Commissioned Analysis Award.
