Smart Growth America is pleased to announce this year’s cohort of Community Connectors: Gresham, OR; Lexington, KY; and Roanoke, VA. The teams selected for the program show great initiative in making their roads safer for everyone, improving their cities to better reflect the communities, and working with students and youth along the way. We are excited to see what they accomplish over the next year.

Community Connectors, with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, brings teams of city staff and community-based organizations together to repair divisive infrastructure and build relationships through a quick-build demonstration project. City staff bring detailed knowledge of city operations and the ability to navigate permitting processes, while community organizations bring deep insight into local needs and connections with neighbors. Together, these teams will be able to go further than either could on their own to improve their public spaces, which requires working closely together.

Through virtual sessions, an in-person workshop, technical support from expert partners, and ongoing coaching, participants will develop the skills and knowledge to improve safety and accessibility on local roads. From designing traffic calming strategies to conducting a walk audit, participants will gain hands-on experience this fall and winter needed to install a demonstration project in spring 2027. The teams will learn from each other as they go, and we’ll share interviews and stories from this cohort in the coming months. Stay tuned!