TITLE:
Complete Streets and Implementation in Small Towns
AUTHORS:
Diane M. Calloway, Ardeshir Faghri
KEYWORDS:
Complete Streets, Transportation Equity, Small Towns
JOURNAL NAME:
Current Urban Studies,
Vol.8 No.3,
September
24,
2020
ABSTRACT: As our transportation networks and infrastructure have become more and
more focused on automobiles, we have seen a number of problems, such as traffic
congestion, environmental damage, and health concerns. To combat this issue,
there is a growing movement towards complete streets, which allow equal access
for all modes of transportation. A large portion of this article extensively
explores the concept of complete streets from both an international and
domestic (US) perspective. In doing so, we identify many different ways cities across the world have implemented complete
streets or increased transportation equity, which has led to a multitude
of societal benefits. However, the report also notes that most of these
improvements have been made in urban settings, where it is easier to implement
complete streets due to existing infrastructure, smaller distance between
destination places, and ample financial resources. Complete streets are much
more difficult to implement within small towns in rural settings, which is
problematic since these residents often have the least opportunity to use
active transportation modes. The final section of the report identifies these
challenges within rural communities, offers suggestions regarding complete
street planning in these areas, and provides an in-depth process for
implementing complete streets in small towns.