AARP  Livable  Communities  

Over  the  last  decade,  localities  across  the  Unite  States  have  set  forth  to  “complete  the  streets,”  that  is,  make  them  work  better  for  all  users  and  forms  of  mobility.  The  National  Complete  Streets  Coalition,  housed  within  nonprofit  Smart  Growth  America,  provides  local  government  officials  and  community  leaders  the  information,  tools,  resources  and  implementation  programs  needed  to  put  Complete  Streets  policies  in  place.    

The  National  Complete  Streets  Coalition  believes  “the  streets  of  our  cities  and  towns  are  an  important  part  of  the  livability  of  our  communities.  They  ought  to  be  for  everyone,  whether  young  or  old,  motorist  or  bicyclist,  walker  or  wheelchair  user,  bus  rider  or  shopkeeper.  But  too  many  of  our  streets  are  designed  only  for  speeding  cars,  or  worse,  creeping  traffic  jams.”  

Complete  Streets  policies  are  new  laws,  ordinances  and  executive  orders  that  enable  states,  cities,  and  towns,  and  their  planners  and  engineers  to  build  road  networks  that  “are  safer,  more  livable,  and  welcoming  to  everyone,”  according  to  the  Coalition’s  website  (completestreets.org).  

This  case  study,  prepared  by  the  Education  &  Outreach  group  at  AARP,  shares  the  story  of  several  successful  implementations  of  Complete  Streets  policies.  The  advocates  and  approaches  all  differed,  yet  each  group  succeeded.  To  that  end,  this  case  study  also  shares  the  lessons  learned  along  the  way.  

 

The  Road  Ahead:  Implementing  Complete  Streets  Policies  

CASE  STUDY  Prepared  by:  AARP  Livable  Communities  Washington,  DC  Fall  2013    aarp.org/livable  

Learn  how  advocates  encouraged  several  communities  and  states  to  successfully  implement  Complete  Streets  policies  –  making  their  streets  safer  for  cars,  transit  users,  bikes  and  pedestrians  

 2    AARP  Livable  Communities             CASE  STUDY    

Complete  Streets  Initiatives  

There  are  many  reasons  that  communities  adopt  Complete  Streets  policies.  The  examples  of  different  advocacy  approaches  shared  here  all  succeeded  because  the  key  partners  identified  the  messages  and  information  that  spoke  to  leaders  and  stakeholders  in  their  community.  For  some,  it  was  about  health  and  obesity.  For  others,  safety,  bicycling  and  children.  Still  others  focused  on  mobility,  business  development,  and  growth.  

In  almost  all  cases,  the  motivation  behind  advocating  for  Complete  Streets  policies  was  the  same:  let’s  improve  our  own  community  for  the  betterment  of  all.    

The  advocates  that  come  together  in  pursuit  of  that  goal  should  succeed  in  getting  Complete  Streets  policies  implemented.  That’s  because  it  is  hard  for  local  officials  to  argue  with  Complete  Streets  policies  that  are  designed  to  enable  communities  to  re-­‐prioritize  infrastructure  investments  toward  focusing  on  moving  people,  and  not  just  cars.    

Let’s  take  a  closer  look  at  three  advocacy  efforts,  and  the  lessons  learned.  

 

“Once  a  Complete  Streets  policy  is  adopted,  essentially  a  whole  new  effort  must  begin  in  order  to  bring  it  into  daily  practice.  Too  often,  it  doesn’t  happen.”  

 -­‐-­‐  Barbara  McCann  Founder,  National  Complete  Streets  Coalition  

National  AARP  and  State  Offices  

For  over  50  years  the  national  AARP  organization  has  advocated  on  behalf  of  citizens  age  50  and  older.  The  AARP  offices  in  the  States  and  Territories  have  focused  most  often  on  local  legislation  and  issues.  In  recent  years,  these  local  offices  have  begun  taking  a  more  active  role  in  the  communities  they  serve,  often  convening  a  wide  range  of  government,  nonprofit,  corporate  and  citizen  groups  to  impact  life  for  older  adults.  It  is  in  this  role  that  state  offices  of  AARP  began  supporting  Complete  Streets  initiatives  and  policies.  

AARP  believes  it  is  important  that  organizations  and  local  community  leaders  come  together  to  make  communities  more  “livable”  for  all  ages.  To  facilitate  that,  AARP  is  now  actively  supporting  Livable  Community  efforts  with  a  new  online  resource  at  aarp.org/livable.  

The  website  is  designed  so  local  government  officials  and  community  leaders  can  learn,  plan  and  take  action  on  Livable  Community  initiatives.  

Not  a  safe  route  to  school.    Source:  FLICKR  

 3    AARP  Livable  Communities             CASE  STUDY    

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Case  in  Point:  Indiana  

Engaging  Local  Government  and  Community    

In  August  of  2012,  the  Marion  City-­‐County  (metropolitan  Indianapolis)  Council  unanimously  adopted  a  package  of  Complete  Streets  policies  for  the  region,  which  the  mayor  signed  into  law.  Indianapolis  joined  124  other  communities  in  2012  that  put  in  place  laws,  regulations,  resolutions,  and  polices  to  change  how  streets  are  planned,  designed  and  built.  With  Indianapolis  on  board,  now  more  than  one-­‐third  of  the  state  population  lives  in  communities  with  Complete  Street  policies  on  the  books.  This  accomplish-­‐ment  was  more  than  three  years  in  the  making.  

In  June  2009,  a  local  nonprofit  coalition  called  Health  By  Design  decided  to  bring  in  a  national  expert  on  Complete  Streets  and  organized  a  community  workshop.  Health  By  Design  (HBD)  focuses  on  how  to  “create  built  environments  that  foster  healthy  living.”  HBD  solicited  support  from  a  wide  range  of  partners,  including  the  state  office  of  AARP,  who  sponsored  the  workshop.  Marion  City-­‐County  Councilor  Maggie  Lewis  participated  in  the  event  and  left  with  a  commitment  to  support  Complete  Streets  programs.  

Starting  in  early  2010,  HBD  and  AARP  Indiana  launched  the  Indiana  Complete  Streets  Campaign,  a  formal  advocacy  effort  to  get  the  region  to  adopt  Complete  Streets  legislation.  With  over  75  organizations  and  250  individuals  engaged,  the  first  action  step  was  to  conduct  walkability  assessments  across  the  state.  These  on-­‐the-­‐street  audits,  typically  with  20-­‐30  volunteers,  were  

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done  at  over  60  locations  over  the  next  year  or  so.  The  focus  of  the  audits  was  to  assess  key  roadways,  streets  and  intersections  for  sidewalks,  crosswalks,  signage,  bike  lanes  and  the  like.  

Zia  Brucaya,  Coordinator,  Indiana  Complete  Streets  Coalition,  said  “Walk-­‐ability  surveys  also  provide  excellent  opportunities  to  engage  political  leaders  and  media,  because  they  involve  a  large  group  of  stake-­‐holders  and  have  ready-­‐made  visuals  –  and  potential  controversy.”  

The  audit  participants  would  debrief  AARP  Indiana  and  HBD  staff  after  each  outing,  and  the  Indiana  Complete  Streets  Campaign  ultimately  presented  a  summary  of  findings  to  the  City-­‐County  Council  and  the  Department  of  Pubic  Works.  

June  Lyle,  state  director  for  AARP  said,  “Thanks  to  the  top-­‐down  interest  and  involvement  from  Maggie  Lewis,  the  Councilor  and  now  Council  President,  and  the  grassroots  involvement  of  75  organizations  and  hundred  of  citizens,  the  effort  succeeded  in  getting  Complete  

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Streets  policies  in  place.”  

A  key  factor,  too,  was  the  role  of  the  Department  of  Public  Works,  who  became  engaged  early  in  the  process  and  worked  hard  to  make  the  mechanics  of  such  policies  workable.  Lyle  said,  “Having  input  and  guidance  from  those  inside  the  local  government  from  an  operational  perspective  really  helped  as  we  tried  to  create  new  rules  and  regulations  at  the  policy  level.”  

Now  that  the  policies  are  law,  the  Indiana  Complete  Streets  Coalition  has  shifted  focus  and  is  advocating  for  implementation  of  the  Complete  Streets  policies  across  the  region.  They  see  their  role  as  encouraging,  informing,  tracking  and  celebrating  efforts.  They  also  serve  as  a  watchdog  to  make  sure  policies  are  followed  on  any  new  projects.  

In  early  2013,  the  Indianapolis  region  was  recognized  by  the  national  Complete  Streets  Coalition  for  having  the  “best”  program  in  the  United  States.  

 

 4    AARP  Livable  Communities             CASE  STUDY    

1

Case  in  Point:  Hawaii  

From  Statewide  to  Street  Level  

The  state  of  Hawaii  was  an  early  adopter  of  a  statewide  Complete  Streets  law,  which  was  passed  in  May  2009.  Early  advocates  used  the  fact  that  Hawaii  is  the  nation’s  most  dangerous  place  for  people  over  60  years  old  in  terms  of  traffic  accidents  and  pedestrians.  The  new  law  created  a  multi-­‐disciplinary  Complete  Streets  task  force  to  review  design  standards  and  propose  changes  in  procedures  and  design  manuals  for  the  Hawaii  Department  of  Transportation  (DOT).  

However,  the  story  since  that  early  success  suggests  that  relying  on  the  law  and  a  government-­‐mandated  task  force  does  not  automatically  translate  into  action  and  results.  For  example,  in  Hawaii,  like  most  states,  the  state  DOT  is  only  responsible  for  major  roadways,  not  local  streets.  Plus,  having  new  legislation  on  the  books  helps  mostly  with  new  projects;  it  doesn’t  require  existing  “incomplete”  streets  to  be  completed.    

Realizing  this,  the  AARP  Hawaii  office  and  others  began  advocating  for  Complete  Street  policies  –  and  projects  –  on  the  regional  and  local  government  level.  According  to  Jackie  Boland,  Associate  state  director  for  AARP  Hawaii,  “We  began  by  getting  the  state  to  enact  a  law  that  enables  the  counties  to  come  up  with  their  own  Complete  Streets  policies.  That  allowed  us  to  partner  with  other  interested  groups  to  get  real  progress  on  the  local  level.”  

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One  such  group  was  “Get  Fit  Kauai,”  a  public  health  initiative  in  Kauai  County.  With  key  stakeholders  like  the  mayor,  Kauai  County  became  the  first  local  government  to  pass  a  Complete  Streets  resolution  that  created  new  design  standards  and  performance  measures.    

The  Oahu  Metropolitan  Planning  Organization  and  the  county  and  city  of  Honolulu  also  adopted  and  

implemented  local  Complete  Streets  policies.  This  effort  was  advocated  and  supported  by  AARP  Hawaii  with  key  support  from  Wayne  Yoshioka,  the  former  head  of  the  Department  of  Transportation  Services,  and  Breene  Harimoto,  the  city  council  transport-­‐ation  chair.  Yoshioka  is  credited  with  co-­‐writing  the  bill  and  then,  important-­‐ly,  spending  the  next  six  months  shepherding  it  through  the  department.  Harimoto  helped  bring  in  outside  

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experts  to  raise  awareness  of  the  needs  and  benefits  of  Complete  Streets  and  encouraged  key  stakeholders  to  participate  in  walk  audits  to  experience  Honolulu’s  less-­‐than-­‐complete-­‐streets  first  hand.  

“Having  support  from  Wayne  and  Breene  is  what  made  the  initiative  a  success,”  said  Jackie  Boland  of  AARP  Hawaii.  “There  are  processes  in  place  in  which  new  Complete  Streets  policies  must  fit,  so  having  insider  information  and  guidance  navigating  through  all  of  that  was  invaluable.”  

Another  successful  tactic  deployed  in  Honolulu  was  a  mock-­‐up  of  a  Complete  Street.  Linda  Schatz,  a  local  architect  and  wife  of  U.S.  Senator  Brian  Schatz,  organized  a  task  force  and  worked  diligently  to  bring  this  living  example  to  life.  “Linda’s  brainstorm  to  bring  a  Complete  Street  to  life  was  a  thousand  times  better  than  even  a  picture.  Stakeholders  could  experience  life  on  a  Complete  Street.  It  really  energized  our  efforts,”  said  Boland,  of  AARP  Hawaii.  

By  moving  from  a  statewide  platform  for  Complete  Streets  down  to  local  street-­‐level  implementation,  Hawaii  is  well  on  the  way  to  transforming  mobility  in  the  island  state.  

 

There  are  existing  processes  in  which  Complete  Street    policies  must  fit.  Having  insider  support  makes  all  the  difference.  

Drawing  public  attention  to  the  need  

Bringing  a  Complete  Street  to  life,  even  temporarily,  makes  a  big  difference.  This  is  the  Hele  on  Kakaako  event  from  Hawaii.  

 5    AARP  Livable  Communities             CASE  STUDY    

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Washington  State  Goes  a  Different  Route:    

A  Faster  Way  to  Slower  Speeds  

A  new  law  in  Washington  State  helps  local  communities  make  neighborhood  streets  safer  by  reducing  regulations  and  red  tape.  

Before,  if  a  city  or  town  wanted  to  reduce  the  speed  limit  to  20  miles  per  hour  on  a  neighborhood  street,  Washington  state  law  required  them  to  conduct  an  engineering  and  traffic  study.    Such  a  step  costs  communities  thousands  of  dollars  and  slows  down  projects.  In  late  summer  2013,  the  state  legislature  passed  the  Neighborhood  Safe  Streets  Bill,  which  provides  cities  and  towns  the  flexibility  to  set  lower  maximum  speed  limits  without  doing  a  study  first.  

Blake  Trask,  Statewide  Policy  Director  at  the  Bicycle  Alliance  of  Washington,  says  the  new  law  provides  for  more  local  control  and  reduces  regulation.  Under  the  new  law,  cities  and  towns  can  create  their  own  procedures  and  policies  for  lowering  local  speed  limits,  to  help  make  their  communities  safer  and  more  livable.    

“Especially  for  the  elderly  and  for  children,  speed  is  a  big  issue,”  Trask  said.  “If  you  get  hit  by  a  car  traveling  at  20  miles  per  hour,  your  changes  of  survival  are  much  higher  than  if  you  get  hit  at  40  miles  per  hour.”  The  law  will  also  help  neighborhoods  calm  local  streets  and  reduce  cut-­‐through  traffic  between  major  roads.  

A  key  lesson  learned  was  that  a  broader  coalition  of  supporters  makes  a  real  difference.  At  first,  advocates  had  emphasized  the  legislation’s  benefits  for  bicycling  —  local  streets  with  lower  

Blake  Trask,  Bicycle  Alliance  of  Washington  

 

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speed  limits  offer  cyclists  safer  routes.  But  Trask  and  his  colleagues  realized  that  the  bill  was  about  much  more  than  that.  

Broadening  messaging  on  the  bill  helped  build  a  more  powerful  coalition  of  support  that  included  health  advocates,  local  government  associations,  and  motorist  groups.  Over  30  cities,  towns  and  organizations  supported  the  efforts,  including  state  chapters  of  AAA  and  AARP.  

Trask  said  that  helping  local  governments  improve  street  safety  has  important  implications  for  everybody’s  safety  —  not  just  bicyclists.  “It  helps  elderly  people  who  want  to  age  in  place  and  want  to  get  around  safely,  it  helps  walkers  who  don’t  want  to  get  hit  by  cars,”  he  noted.  

“We  can  say  that  this  is  a  bill  that  really  appeals  to  most  everyone,”  Trask  said.  “I  think  in  the  bicycling  community  we  often  fail  to  recognize  that  our  issues  and  the  things  we’re  advocating  for  can  cast  a  much  wider  net  of  support  so  long  as  we’re  not  focused  only  on  the  benefits  to  bikes.”  

This  approach  does  not  require  the  up-­‐front  investment  of  a  Complete  Streets  project,  nor  does  it  serve  as  a  strict  mandate.  Instead,  it  puts  the  decision-­‐making  and  control  in  the  hands  of  the  local  communities.    

 

 6    AARP  Livable  Communities             CASE  STUDY    

1

Case  in  Point:  Vermont  

A  Weeklong  Eye-­‐Opening  Blitz  

AARP  Vermont  partnered  in  2010  and  2011  with  a  diverse  group  of  over  40  organizations  from  across  the  state  to  pass  Complete  Streets  legislation  that  makes  roads  safer  and  more  usable  and  accessible  by  all  citizens.  The  coalition  consisted  of  local  and  statewide  agencies,  organizations  focused  on  health  and  wellness,  bicycling,  older  adults  and  children.  While  each  organization  had  its  own  focus  and  agenda,  they  all  came  together  to  support  the  Complete  Streets  movement  in  Vermont  because  they  saw  how  their  stakeholders  would  benefit.  

The  kick-­‐off  for  the  effort  was  Complete  Streets  Week,  held  in  September  2010  in  four  Vermont  communities:  Burlington,  St.  Johnsbury,  Rutland,  and  Brattleboro.  Over  the  course  of  the  week,  volunteers  and  organizations  teamed  up  with  AARP  Vermont  to  survey  crosswalks  and  intersections  in  the  four  communities.  These  in-­‐person  audits  were  designed  to  assess  how  well  these  streets  and  intersections  met  the  needs  of  cars,  walkers,  bicyclists  and  transit  users.  

In  each  community,  AARP  Vermont  worked  with  local  organizations  to  identify  the  areas  and  intersections  to  evaluate.  The  local  organizations  had  specific  areas  and  intersections  in  mind,  ensuring  that  streets  with  issues  would  be  evaluated.  During  the  event,  volunteers  used  checklists  and  materials  available  from  the  completestreets.org  website,  and  debriefed  coalition  leaders  after  each  audit.  

Jennifer  Wallace-­‐Brodeur,  of  AARP  Vermont,  said,  “By  drawing  media  attention  statewide  and  highlighting  the  specific  places  and  ways  that  Vermont  streets  were  not  ‘complete,’  the  event  helped  elevate  the  issue  of  Complete  Streets  to  a  legislative  level.  It  became  

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easy  to  see  what  needed  to  done  and  why.”  

Wallace-­‐Brodeur  also  said  “Some  of  the  recommended  improvements  involved  little  or  no  cost,  and  offered  benefits  to  pedestrians  of  all  ages.”  By  not  making  this  about  one  age  segment,  or  even  type  of  mobility,  the  coalition  members  remained  engaged  even  after  the  legislation  passed.  Many  helped  organize  local  projects  to  implement  Complete  Street  policies  on  existing  streets  and  intersections.  

For  example,  Colchester  Avenue  in  Burlington  went  through  a  “road  diet”  (shrinking  the  lanes  for  cars  to  better  allow  for  bikes  and  pedestrians),  which  was  presented  to  local  leaders  as  a  driver  safety  project,  was  supported  by  a  local  biking  organization  and  the  Burlington  Public  Works.  

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To  help  facilitate  more  widespread  adoption  of  Complete  Streets  policies,  the  Vermont  Department  of  Health’s  “Fit  and  Healthy  Vermonters”  Program  teamed  with  AARP  Vermont,  Chittenden  County  Regional  Planning  Commission,  Vermont  Department  of  Economic,  Housing  and  Community  Development,  Vermont  Department  of  Transportation,  and  Vermont  League  of  Cities  and  Towns  to  publish  a  40-­‐page  Vermont-­‐specific  Complete  Streets  implementation  guidebook.    

http://bit.ly/complete-­‐streets-­‐VT  

“We  wanted  to  help  local  government  officials,  planners  and  community  leaders  be  able  to  quickly  see  how  to  implement  Complete  Streets  policies,”  said  AARP’s  Wallace-­‐Brodeur.  “We  also  knew  that  examples  from  Vermont  would  resonate  with  them,”  she  added.  

 7    AARP  Livable  Communities             CASE  STUDY    

Lessons  Learned  

In  each  of  these  states,  different  strategies  and  tactics  worked  to  get  Complete  Street  policies  put  in  place  and  succeeded  in  raising  awareness  and  making  progress  towards  creating  better  places  for  everyone.  

Other  communities  across  the  United  States  are  achieving  similar  results  from  their  efforts.  The  communities  featured  here  wanted  to  share  some  key  “lessons  learned”  from  the  process  for  those  who  are  earlier  in  their  efforts.  Here  are  seven:  

1. Use  data  to  make  the  case  and  draw  attention  to  the  issue  –  conducting  Complete  Streets  audits  for  multiple  intersections  and  streets  helps.  Both  the  media  and  elected  officials  respond  well  to  hard  facts.  The  safety  rating  for  people  over  60  in  Hawaii  was  the  key  statistic  that  enabled  the  effort  to  gain  traction  so  easily.  

2. Be  specific.  Generalities  about  implementing  Complete  Street  policies  will  get  some  traction,  but  a  specific  action  plan  for  specific  “incomplete”  streets  works  better.  Pictures  tell  the  story  well,  but  physically  visiting  and  auditing  the  street  or  intersection  is  better.  

3. Build  a  coalition  broader  than  your  own  focus.  Complete  Streets  is  about  biking,  walking,  livability,  aging  in  place,  health,  sustainability  and  children.  The  more  organizations  and  groups  involved,  the  more  likely  elected  officials  will  take  action.  Be  mindful,  too,  of  the  politics  and  reputations  of  various  partner  organizations.    

4. Plan  on  being  in  for  the  long  haul,  but  look  for  shorter  term  “wins”  that  demonstrate  what  it  means  for  a  community  to  have  a  complete  street.    The  planning  process  for  new  streets  and  roadways  is  long;  getting  existing  streets  or  intersections  modified  takes  time,  too.  Be  prepared  for  this  to  take  months  and  years,  not  days  and  weeks.  In  addition,  look  for  and  celebrate  any  early  successes  to  help  maintain  momentum.  

5. Be  prepared  to  adapt  with  the  outcomes  of  elections  and  when  appointed  officials  in  key  departments  change.  Important  advocates  could  leave  office  or  key  positions,  and  impact  your  efforts.  The  reality  of  long-­‐term  initiatives  like  Complete  Streets  is  that  the  people  in  charge  do  change.  Make  sure  your  effort  can  pivot  as  needed.    

6. The  goal  is  to  change  mind-­‐sets  among  those  who  do  traffic  and  road  planning,  so  it  helps  to  have  an  insider’s  perspective  and  guidance.  That’s  why  is  it  important  to  have  “insiders”  at  key  departments  like  transportation,  public  safety,  public  works,  or  volunteers  who  can  help  steer  your  effort  through  the  bureaucracy.  

7. Statewide  or  regional  regulations  need  to  be  translated  into  specific  actions  for  local  decision-­‐makers  to  embrace  and  implement.  At  the  end  of  the  day,  everyone  involved  in  Complete  Streets  policies  wants  to  know  “what’s  in  this  for  me,  or  my  community?”  Make  sure  that  question  is  answered.  

 

 

   

More  information  is  available  at  aarp.org/livable.  

Summary  

The  Complete  Streets  movement  is  working  its  way  across  the  entire  United  States.  

Communities  embracing  these  policies  are  going  to  create  more  livable  communities  

for  all  of  their  citizens.  Specific  information  on  the  latest  programs  is  available  at  

completestreets.org.  

Local  government  and  community  leaders  can  also  access  a  full  range  of  livable  

community  resources  at  aarp.org/livable.  

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