∎ Libro Gratis Completing Our Streets The Transition to Safe and Inclusive Transportation Networks Barbara McCann 9781610914314 Books

Completing Our Streets The Transition to Safe and Inclusive Transportation Networks Barbara McCann 9781610914314 Books

Download As PDF : Completing Our Streets The Transition to Safe and Inclusive Transportation Networks Barbara McCann 9781610914314 Books

Across the country, communities are embracing a new and safer way to build streets for everyone—even as they struggle to change decades of rules, practice, and politics that prioritize cars. They have discovered that changing the design of a single street is not enough they must upend the way transportation agencies operate. Completing Our Streets begins with the story of how the complete streets movement united bicycle riders, transportation practitioners and agencies, public health leaders, older Americans, and smart growth advocates to dramatically re-frame the discussion of transportation safety. Next, it explores why the transportation field has been so resistant to change—and how the movement has broken through to create a new multi-modal approach.

In Completing Our Streets, Barbara McCann, founder of the National Complete Streets Coalition, explains that the movement is not about street design. Instead, practitioners and activists have changed the way projects are built by focusing on three strategies reframe the conversation; build a broad base of political support; and provide a clear path to a multi-modal process. McCann shares stories of practitioners in cities and towns from Charlotte, North Carolina to Colorado Springs, Colorado who have embraced these strategies to fundamentally change the way transportation projects are chosen, planned, and built.

The complete streets movement is based around a simple idea streets should be safe for people of all ages and abilities, whether they are walking, driving, bicycling, or taking the bus. Completing Our Streets gives practitioners and activists the strategies, tools, and inspiration needed to translate this idea into real and lasting change in their communities.

Completing Our Streets The Transition to Safe and Inclusive Transportation Networks Barbara McCann 9781610914314 Books

This was an easy and informative book to read about the new attitude towards streets for everyone, not just cars and car movements on our streets. It gave some good background and many examples of different treatments of complete streets. I particularly recommend it to people like myself who are coping with street design and re-use from a neighborhood activist point of view.

Product details Paperback 224 pages Publisher Island Press; 2nd None ed. edition (October 14, 2013) Language English ISBN-10 1610914317

Tags : Completing Our Streets: The Transition to Safe and Inclusive Transportation Networks [Barbara McCann] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. <DIV>Across the country, communities are embracing a new and safer way to build streets for everyone—even as they struggle to change decades of rules,Barbara McCann,Completing Our Streets: The Transition to Safe and Inclusive Transportation Networks,Island Press,1610914317,City planning - United States - Citizen participation,Streets - United States - Planning,Streets;United States;Planning.,Traffic safety - United States - Planning,Traffic safety;United States;Planning.,Urban transportation policy - United States - Citizen participation,Urban transportation policy;United States;Citizen participation.,American Government - Local,Citizen participation,General,Non-Fiction,POLITICAL SCIENCE American Government Local,Planning,Political ScienceAmerican Government - Local,ScholarlyUndergraduate,Streets,TEXT,TRANSPORTATION General,Traffic safety,Transport planning & policy,Transportation,United States,Urban transportation policy
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Completing Our Streets The Transition to Safe and Inclusive Transportation Networks Barbara McCann 9781610914314 Books Reviews

Completing Our Streets The Transition to Safe and Inclusive Transportation Networks examines in detail how different communities are tackling the challenges of putting Complete Streets policies into practice. It will be enlightening reading for anyone interested in creating a more bicycle, pedestrian and transit-friendly transportation network.

The book focuses on the complex, political process by which project projects are chosen, planned and built. State and local transportation departments have accreted decades of rules and practices that tend to prioritize travel by motor vehicles. Federal funding streams flow predominantly toward projects focused on cars. A single new policy, by itself, will change very little in how business is done. Successful advocates have used Complete Streets policies as a wedge to get in the backrooms where many transportation decisions are made and to influence elected officials to put their weight behind a more multi-modal approach.

McCann, the founder of the National Complete Streets Coalition and a highly regarded writer, explains that the Complete Streets movement is not about street design. Instead, practitioners and activists have changed the way projects are built by focusing on three strategies reframe the conversation; build a broad base of political support; and provide a clear path to a multi-modal process. McCann shares stories of practitioners in cities and towns from Charlotte, North Carolina to Colorado Springs, Colorado who have embraced these strategies to effect fundamental change.

If you want to get into the belly of the beast of transportation policy, planning and politics and understand how decisions get made and how to influence them - this is a book you should read. It reflects McCann's skills both as an advocate and as a communicator. McCann engages the reader through her vivid, lucid writing and her breadth of examples from across the country.
This is partly a history of Complete Streets, and I wondered if it is too early to write such a book. It's hardly old enough to have a history! But there are numerous communities who have embraced Complete Streets and their experience will smooth the way for the hundreds of other communities who want to go down that (complete) path.

As an advocate, not a government employee, the most useful tip for me was how to talk to people about Complete Streets emphasize the safety aspect. The fact that Complete Streets are beautiful, green, tree-lined places will be secondary to most people.

The chapter on how much Complete Streets cost is very useful too. The short, but disappointing answer to those who ask such a question, is that for numerous reasons it's impossible to tell. The good news is, after Complete Streets are adopted, no one cares. They like the way it is and they don't notice the cost.

If you can get your city staff and your state DOT staff to read this book, that would be amazing. If not, read it yourself because it has a wealth of information that you can use to talk to your city staff, state DOT, and fellow citizens.
So your city has adopted a "Complete Streets" policy full of wonderful language about how streets should be for bicyclists and pedestrians as well as drivers.
But how do you turn the policy's promises into reality? McCann's suggestions include
1. Creating committees that cut across departmental lines, so that one agency doesn't get "tunnel vision" and focus on its own traditional priorities to the exclusion of complete streets. Ideally, these committees should include citizen groups who favor the policy as well as bureaucrats.
2. Because city public works departments often engage in routine street maintenance, use such maintenance as an opportunity to make a street more pedestrian or bicycle-friendly.
3. Create training programs for transportation planners so that they become familiar not just with the logic behind complete streets policies, but to give them technical know-how from a pro-pedestrian/bicyclist point of view. In particular, don't just have people give speeches to your employees, but take them on walking and biking tours to show how difficult the city's streets can be for nondrivers.
4. Count the right things- not just vehicle traffic, but also pedestrian traffic and the number of "complete streets"-oriented improvements.
5. Expect change to be slow.
6. Metropolitan planning organizations have scoring systems that help them decide which projects to fund. Often, their scoring systems are biased in favor of large road projects. Create scoring systems that favor multimodal policies.
Excellent book. I highly recommend it!
Great read that also makes an excellent resource for those who may want to know the recent history of much of the current innovation taking place in many parts of the U.S. Most interestingly, the book discusses the process of transforming thinking at a national level with limited resources. Reading this book is reinvigorating as it provides many insights and much advice for those currently engaged in 'completing our streets'.
This was an easy and informative book to read about the new attitude towards streets for everyone, not just cars and car movements on our streets. It gave some good background and many examples of different treatments of complete streets. I particularly recommend it to people like myself who are coping with street design and re-use from a neighborhood activist point of view.