Auburn, Lewiston recognized as national leader in creating streets that work for everyone
GrowSmart Maine congratulates the Cities of Auburn and Lewiston for passing two of the best Complete Streets policies of 2013
Portland, Maine – The Cities of Auburn and Lewiston have both been recognized as national leaders in making streets safer and more convenient for everyone who uses them, according to the National Complete Streets Coalition, a program of national non-profit Smart Growth America.
Tied for 4th place in the country, the assessment is based on Auburn and Lewiston’s Complete Streets policies, both passed last year, which encourage planners and engineers to design and build streets that are safe and convenient for everyone, regardless of age, ability, income or ethnicity, and no matter how they travel.
"Complete Streets brings to life the connections between land use and transportation; the more effective Maine is at providing appropriate and safe road access to all users the stronger our communities will be", stated GrowSmart Maine Executive Director, Nancy E. Smith. "We have seen this connection across the state, with Portland’s award-winning adoption of Complete Streets policies in 2012 as well as the broader regional project such as Gateway 1 in Midcoast Maine and the efforts on the Gorham East-West Corridor. Within its projects, convenings and advocacy, GrowSmart Maine continues to highlight and support these steps forward throughout Maine."
The rankings are intended to celebrate the communities that have done exceptional work in crafting comprehensive policy language over the past year, with scoring based on 10 technical elements of an ideal Complete Streets policy. The communities with the top-scoring policies of 2013 are:
1. Littleton, MA
2. Peru, IN
3. Fort Lauderdale, FL
4. Auburn, ME (tie)
4. Lewiston, ME (tie)
6. Baltimore County, MD
7. Portsmouth, NH
8. Muscatine, IA
9. Piqua, OH
10. Oakland, CA
11. Hayward, CA (tie)
11. Livermore, CA (tie)
11. Massachusetts Department of Transportation (tie)
14. Cedar Falls, IA (tie)
14. Waterloo, IA (tie)
Auburn and Lewiston’s policy ranked 4th nationwide, scoring a total of 88 points out of 100. The town of Littleton, MA, is home to 2013’s top policy, with a total of 94.4 points.
“Community leaders and transportation practitioners are working together in small towns and big cities, and across almost every state in the nation to pass policies that will ensure that future transportation investments create Complete Streets,” said Roger Millar, Director of the National Complete Streets Coalition.
“A lot of this year’s policies direct additional action on Complete Streets. That’s a huge part of turning words on paper into better, safer streets,” said Stefanie Seskin, Deputy Director of the National Complete Streets Coalition. “Seeing the benefits of that on-the-ground change in other communities is a big part of why so many cities are adopting Complete Streets policies today.”
In 2013, more than 80 cities, states and regions passed Complete Streets policies. Nationwide, a total of 610 jurisdictions in 48 states have Complete Streets policies in place.
“The Auburn City Council has made a firm commitment to becoming one of New England’s most walkable, bikeable and physically active communities and this policy’s adoption is step one,” states Auburn Mayor Jonathan P. LaBonte, also a member of the Local Leaders Council of Smart Growth America. “Now the hard work begins, aggressively implementing this direction to show our citizens and investors that we mean it.”
See more information about the winning policies and evaluation criteria at http://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/complete-streets-2013-analysis.
The National Complete Streets Coalition, a program of Smart Growth America, a program of Smart Growth America, seeks to fundamentally transform the look, feel and function of the roads and streets in our community, by changing the way most roads are planned, designed and constructed. Complete Streets policies direct transportation planners and engineers to consistently design with all users in mind.
Smart Growth America is the only national organization dedicated to researching, advocating for and leading coalitions to bring better development to more communities nationwide. From providing more sidewalks to ensuring more homes are built near public transportation or that productive farms remain a part of our communities, smart growth helps make sure people across the nation can live in great neighborhoods.
GrowSmart Maine is a statewide, non-partisan, non-profit that works at the intersection of Maine's economy, environment and communities. We know that when these three areas are working well and working together, we succeed as a state. GrowSmart Maine actively brings together Maine citizens, government, businesses, and nonprofit organizations to work for a more sustainable prosperity that supports both an improving standard of living and the protection of this state’s unique character, our quality of place
For additional information, visit http://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/completestreets.