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<p>Complete Streets approach integrates people and place in the planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance of our transportation networks. The National Complete Streets Coalition works to ensure streets prioritize safety over speed, balance the needs of different modes, and support local land uses, economies, cultures, and natural environments.</p>

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<p>Be part of the Complete Streets movement to create safer, more accessible streets for everyone. Your active participation can help turn our vision into real, on-the-ground change. </p>

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<p>The <strong>National Complete Streets Coalition</strong>, a program of Smart Growth America, is a non-profit, non-partisan alliance of public interest organizations and transportation professionals committed to the development and implementation of Complete Streets policies and practices.</p>
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<p>Our mission is to make Complete Streets the default approach to building and managing transportation systems across the US. We uplift best practices and equip champions to support ending traffic violence and to create communities where all people have safe, accessible, and convenient ways to get to where they need and want to go.</p>

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<p>We believe that the streets of our cities and towns must allow all people, regardless of age, ability, income, race, or ethnicity, to safely, comfortably, and conveniently access everything they need by foot, bicycle, public transportation, or other preferred mode of transportation. A community’s street network should reflect the overall vision for its mobility future and support public health, environmental resilience, and economic development for all members.</p>

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<p><strong>Prioritize street design</strong>: Elevate safe, accessible, and equitable street design as the primary tactic to reduce traffic deaths and support mobility independence.</p>
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<p><strong>Challenge the norm</strong>: Hold decision-makers, with a focus on those who control our most dangerous streets, accountable to their commitment and efforts to shift the policies, systems, and funding structures from those that support divisive transportation to those that support Complete Streets as the default approach.</p>
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<p><strong>Highlight community success</strong>: Replicate local-level community-centered efforts to tackle traffic safety, public health disparities, climate challenges, economic vitality, and other intersecting issues.</p>
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<p><strong>Complete Streets</strong> is an approach to planning, designing, and building streets that enables safe access for all users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, and transit riders of all ages and abilities. We consider it to be the backbone of a healthy community.</p>

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<p>Smart Growth America cultivates vibrant, sustainable communities with diverse living and transportation options, enhancing quality of life for all.</p>
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<p><strong>The National Complete Streets Coalition is excited to announce new leadership on our Steering Committee at a critical moment for the movement. Peter Quintanilla of Michael Baker International has been elected chair, alongside new Steering Committee members BikeWalkKC and Living Streets Alliance.</strong></p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/programs-and-coalitions/national-complete-streets-coalition/">National Complete Streets Coalition (NCSC)</a> works to uplift best practices and equip champions to help end traffic violence and create communities where all people have safe, accessible, and convenient ways to get where they need and want to go. For over 20 years, NCSC has been the leading voice on Complete Streets across the United States, creating resources, building capacity, and advancing the narrative of what transportation can and should be. The Coalition’s Steering Committee provides important insight and guidance to staff and advances Complete Streets in their own work. In 2026, the Coalition is pleased to welcome two new members to join its Steering Committee: BikeWalkKC and Living Streets Alliance.</p>
<p>The Coalition has also elected a new chair to lead the group. Peter Quintanilla, Vice President, Design Hub at Michael Baker International, began serving as chair in January 2026.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 40px;"><span style="color: #22408f;"><em>"I am delighted to assume the role of Chair of the National Complete Streets Coalition. By building on the remarkable efforts of my predecessors and working alongside the talented team at Smart Growth America, I am committed to advancing our mission of creating safe and vibrant streets that enhance our neighborhoods."</em></span> - <span style="color: #22408f;"><strong>Peter Quintanilla, Vice President, Michael Baker International</strong></span></p>
<figure id="attachment_109684" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-109684" style="width: 1024px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Real_Leadership.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-109684 size-large" src="https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Real_Leadership-1024x768.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="768" srcset="https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Real_Leadership-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Real_Leadership-300x225.jpg 300w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Real_Leadership-768x576.jpg 768w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Real_Leadership.jpg 1500w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-109684" class="wp-caption-text">New NCSC chair, Peter Quintanilla, at the Champions Institute convening</figcaption></figure>
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<p>It is vitally important that the Coalition’s Steering Committee is equipped to meet the current challenges facing the Complete Streets movement. In the past year, we have seen repeated attacks by the federal government on Complete Streets and what they stand for. We have heard from advocates, practitioners, and local elected officials about the increasing difficulty of implementing the proven changes they know are needed to create safer streets. </p>
<p style="padding-left: 40px;"><span style="color: #22408f;"><em>"As we look toward the future of Complete Streets, the Coalition’s Steering Committee will play an important role in shaping what comes next. These leaders bring passion, commitment, and innovation, along with on-the-ground experience that shows what’s possible when communities design streets to prioritize safety and access. I’m so excited to work with Peter and our new Steering Committee members as we continue to grow and strengthen the Complete Streets movement."</em></span> <span style="color: #22408f;">- <strong>Heidi Simon, Director of Thriving Communities, Smart Growth America</strong></span></p>
<p>These new members were selected specifically help strengthen our advocacy, programming, and resources to meet this challenging time. BikeWalkKC and Living Streets Alliance work directly on the ground, bringing an important community perspective and diversifying the geographic representation of the Coalition’s Steering Committee. The new leadership will be an important part of the work in 2026 as the Coalition works with a new cohort of local Champions, redefines what constitutes a Complete Streets policy, and produces its latest iteration of our signature report, <a href="https://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/signature-reports/dangerous-by-design/"><em>Dangerous by Design</em></a>.</p>
<h2>About the new members:</h2>
<p><a href="https://bikewalkkc.org/">BikeWalkKC</a> is the mobility advocacy organization serving the bi-state Greater Kansas City, MO/KS region. They are working to build a community where residents are not required to drive to thrive, through policy, education, urban planning, and community-building.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.livingstreetsalliance.org/">Living Streets Alliance</a> is a Tucson-based nonprofit dedicated to transforming streets into vibrant public places that bring people together while providing safe, accessible, and attractive transportation options. Working at the intersection of social justice, climate resilience, public health, and community development, we use streets as a catalyst to advance a more just, sustainable, and connected city.</p>
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News

The National Complete Streets Coalition welcomes a new chair and two new members

Late night view as pedestrians walk along the illuminated main street of downtown Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, with illuminated trees at Christmas time.

<p><strong>Are Complete Streets good for local businesses and economies?</strong> <br />
At Smart Growth America, we believe that <a href="https://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/programs-and-coalitions/national-complete-streets-coalition/">Complete Streets</a> can deliver many important benefits for communities, including growing local economies from increased transportation choices. We're developing a brand new report that highlights real-world examples of places where local economies and businesses are thriving because people can easily walk, bike, or roll there in addition to driving.</p>
<p><strong>We need your help identifying those examples!</strong></p>
<p>Do you know of a place—big or small, urban or rural, a downtown, main street, or even a single corridor—where Complete Streets have helped local businesses or strengthened the local economy? We’re interested in examples where changes have led to things like increased foot traffic, new or growing businesses, stronger main street activity, or positive feedback from business owners or community leaders. Hard data is welcome, but firsthand observations and local stories are just as valuable.</p>
<p>If you have an example to share, please tell us about it by completing the short survey below. Your input will help shape a national report that makes the economic case for Complete Streets and supports communities working to build safer, more prosperous places.</p>
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<p><strong>Recent data indicate a decline in roadway and pedestrian fatalities, but that progress is now at risk as federal actions cast doubt on the very safety tools that are helping save lives.</strong></p>
<p>Last fall, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration <a href="https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/813756">released its traffic fatality estimates for the first half of 2025</a>. Especially notable was the 8.2 percent decrease in roadway fatalities for the first half of 2025 compared to the first half of 2024. Alongside the 4.3 percent decrease in pedestrian fatalities in 2024, <a href="https://www.ghsa.org/news/us-pedestrian-deaths-fall-second-straight-year">as reported by the Governors Highway Safety Association</a>, Smart Growth America is cautiously optimistic about the continued trend toward fewer fatalities on our streets.</p>
<p>Any reduction in deaths on our roadways matters, and it reflects real effort and investment by states and cities working to respond to an acute public safety crisis. But if we focus only on the percent decrease, we’re missing the whole story. This decrease in pedestrian fatalities gets us closer to where we were in 2019, before the start of the pandemic. So while it is important to celebrate progress, we also need to stay clear-eyed about how dangerous our roadways have become over the last 40 years, and just how far we have to go. Without understanding what’s driving our progress and investing in the tools that made it possible, this progress is far more precarious than the headlines suggest.</p>
<p>Lurking behind these real signs of progress is the fear that momentum around addressing pedestrian safety could come to a shrieking halt with the recent actions by the federal government. Even as the federal government reports on its progress on safety, it's troubling and confounding that it is making it increasingly difficult to deploy the very interventions contributing to this success. They have put a bullseye on proven safety tactics such as road diets, protected bike lanes, and improved visibility for crosswalks (<a href="https://highways.dot.gov/safety/proven-safety-countermeasures">all countermeasures approved by their own FHWA</a>), leaving local governments wondering whether they will be penalized for including these strategies in federal grant applications and how to fund them if the federal government walks back its support.</p>
<p>Additionally, USDOT’s <a href="https://t4america.org/2025/07/09/no-safety-and-no-speed-the-trump-administration-is-implementing-funds-for-safety-grants-to-towns-and-cities-at-about-ten-percent-of-the-speed-of-the-previous-administration/">delay and obstruction in providing awarded funds</a> from programs such as Safe Streets and Roads for All is not only holding up more street design interventions that could save lives but also setting back the narrative around traffic safety by decades. This comes at a time when the mainstream media is <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/interactive/2025/pedestrian-deaths-road-safety-solutions/?itid=ap_ian-duncan_article-list_1_4">shining a light</a> on how local interventions can be done separately or in combination to achieve safety goals on even the most dangerous corridors, like Central Ave in Albuquerque, NM. It feels like just as the public conversation is catching up to what works, federal action is moving us in the opposite direction.</p>
<p>The federal government should be celebrating such a dramatic decrease in roadway fatalities. Instead, it’s <a href="https://www.nhtsa.gov/press-releases/nhtsa-reports-sharp-drop-traffic-fatalities-first-half-2025">buried in a standard press release</a>, and one has to wonder whether it’s because the efforts contributing to this success don't align with the current administration. If the government truly wanted to see continued progress in chipping away at the devastating trend of pedestrian fatalities, it would fund proven street design interventions and support communities to deploy the solutions they know are needed instead of casting doubt on proven safety countermeasures. It would be using its resources to continue digging into how we’re making the progress we’re seeing, rather than dismantling existing research efforts. Instead, current USDOT leadership seems more intent on standing in the way of the local efforts by passionate champions and crossing their fingers that technology solutions like automated vehicles will one day save us.</p>
<p>In the absence of federal leadership, Smart Growth America continues to fill the gap by highlighting the places making the biggest improvements and pushing for the programs, funding, and policies that support the changes we know work to slow cars, improve visibility, and provide connected networks for active transportation.</p>
<p>Our report, <a href="https://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/signature-reports/dangerous-by-design/">Dangerous by Design</a>, points to the causes of the country’s pedestrian safety crisis and the solutions we need more of. Far too many communities are reckoning with streets that are designed to prioritize vehicle speed and convenience over the safety and accessibility of people walking, biking, and taking transit. In places where communities are taking action to redesign streets to support how people actually move and travel, they are seeing the results of these hard-fought changes. Take, for example, the recent news out of Milwaukee showing its <a href="https://urbanmilwaukee.com/2025/09/26/new-speed-data-shows-dramatic-impact-of-milwaukees-traffic-calming-efforts/#google_vignette">27 percent reduction in speeding and 15 percent reduction in crashes</a> after deploying traffic calming projects. Even notoriously unsafe places <a href="https://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/knowledge-hub/news/new-video-walking-in-one-of-the-deadliest-states-in-america/">like Florida</a> are starting to address pedestrian safety when given the resources and space to implement high-visibility crosswalks, protected bike lanes, and lane reductions. <a href="https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/a6eb04fbce584c6793346df8ce19d941">Orlando’s recent 40 percent drop in deadly and serious injury crashes</a> over four years shows what can happen when pedestrian safety stops being a talking point and starts being a measurable project outcome. Cities of all sizes need to be able to make the changes they know need to happen to save lives and not face unnecessary obstacles from state or federal agencies far removed from where deaths are taking place.</p>
<p>While we wish the federal government would play a more constructive role, SGA will continue to support local and state practitioners as they navigate the ever-changing political landscape to secure funding, redesign streets, and shift the transportation narrative to prioritize safety over speed. That uncertainty is exactly why understanding what’s behind these numbers matters so much right now. That’s why we’re preparing to release an updated Dangerous by Design later this year, where we will dive into the recent safety improvements and what’s at risk if proven safety tactics continue to be sidelined.</p>


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Data suggest a decrease in roadway deaths, but big questions remain

Transportation

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<p><strong>House Republicans and the team of Housing Financial Services Chair French Hill are pushing for the Housing for the 21st Century Act to a <a href="https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2026/02/02/congress/republicans-housing-bill-vote-00761249">floor vote the week of February 9th</a>. This ambitious legislative package includes twenty-five provisions to improve housing supply, including a number of pro-smart growth provisions that would remove red tape, ease environmental review for infill, and introduce a competitive grant program to support housing strategies and zoning reform. The bill and its Senate counterpart, the Road to Housing Act, offer the most notable federal legislative effort on housing in decades, reflecting the urgency of addressing the national housing shortage.</strong></p>
<p>On December 11th, 2025, House Financial Services Chair French Hill (R-AR) introduced the bipartisan <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/6644">Housing for the 21st Century Act</a>. This package followed the Senate’s bipartisan <a href="https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R48732">ROAD to Housing Act</a>, which <a href="https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/11/20/congress/french-hill-at-odds-with-warren-scott-waters-over-ndaa-provisions-00663438">was rejected</a> during consideration of the National Defense Authorization Act.</p>
<p>While the House bill is less comprehensive than the Senate’s proposal, the bill includes provisions and opportunities to advance smart growth housing policies. <em><strong><a href="https://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/knowledge-hub/news/the-tale-of-two-housing-bills-house-financial-services-introduces-new-comprehensive-housing-package-following-the-senates-passage-of-housing-bill-earlier-this-year/">For Smart Growth America’s analysis of both bills, see here.</a></strong></em></p>
<p>Congress’s current bipartisan approach to lowering housing costs largely focuses on supply-side constraints. While increasing supply is part of the equation, it’s not sufficient on its own. Beyond just building more housing, <a href="https://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/knowledge-hub/news/the-smart-growth-approach-more-homes-in-the-right-places-at-the-right-price/">we need more homes in the right places at the right price</a>.</p>
<p>The Housing for the 21st Century Act includes several smart growth provisions that help move in that direction, including support for infill and missing middle housing and reduced regulatory barriers to housing production. Preserving these provisions in the final package is critical to ensuring that new housing actually supports accessible, affordable communities and gives households real choices about where they can live, work, and go to school.</p>
<p>As the House considers voting on Housing for the 21st Century, your representatives need to hear from constituents and organizations about the importance of taking a smart-growth approach to increasing housing supply. Our developers’ coalition, <a href="https://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/programs-and-coalitions/locus/join-locus/">LOCUS</a>, is focused on bringing this approach to Capitol Hill.</p>
<h2><strong>Take action</strong>: Use the form below to contact your representative and urge them to support the Housing for the 21st Century Act and protect its smart growth provisions.</h2>
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<p><strong>After the recent winter storm, DC prioritized plowing roads for cars, while leaving sidewalks, curb ramps, and bus stops inaccessible. For me, and the many other DC residents who get around walking or rolling, the city remains essentially closed. It’s yet another example of how DC’s transportation decisions continue to prioritize cars over people.</strong></p>
<p>I use a wheelchair, and it’s common for winter conditions create extra obstacles for me to navigate. But I’m not unrealistic; I did not expect the snow and ice from the recent storm would be cleared instantly or even overnight. But when I learned that the streets near my home had been plowed, I was excited to get out after being stuck at home for three days. However, when I left my apartment and got to the corner, I realized my journey was over before it even started. While the streets were relatively clear for cars, there were mounds of snow on top of curb ramps, and sidewalks were only inconsistently cleared. I was left with serious concerns that even if I was able to cross this street, the next intersection could be even worse. Some pedestrians were carefully climbing over mounds of ice and snow, but it was not possible—forget about being safe—for me to proceed.</p>
<figure id="attachment_109596" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-109596" style="width: 1024px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Snowy-DC.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-109596" src="https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Snowy-DC-1024x768.png" alt="" width="1024" height="768" srcset="https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Snowy-DC-1024x768.png 1024w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Snowy-DC-300x225.png 300w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Snowy-DC-768x576.png 768w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Snowy-DC-1536x1153.png 1536w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Snowy-DC.png 1999w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-109596" class="wp-caption-text">Two days after the snow and freezing rain ceased, M Street was clear for cars, but not for pedestrians. Snow and ice cover the ADA ramp and bike lane, creating an impassable barrier in the center. The metro (station visible in the picture) was operating at this time, but there was no way for me to reach it.</figcaption></figure>
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<p>My neighborhood, Southwest Waterfront, is generally great for walking, rolling, and transit (that’s a big part of why I live here), so most of the trips my neighbors and I take are not in cars. But during the past week, the response to the snow has made it feel more like a car-dependent suburb than a bustling city neighborhood.</p>
<p>I couldn’t make it beyond my block, so I can’t give a first-hand citywide perspective, but my colleagues assure me that the situation is no better in other parts of the city. Streets remain hazardous or impossible for people walking or rolling, days after the storm has passed.</p>
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<figure style="max-width: 520px; margin: 0;"><a href="https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Inaccessible-Curb-Cuts.png"> <img decoding="async" style="width: 100%; height: auto; display: block;" src="https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Inaccessible-Curb-Cuts.png" /> </a><figcaption style="font-size: 14px; color: #555; margin-top: 6px;">Another street (shared by a colleague) that is essentially clear for cars, but obstructed for anyone else.</figcaption></figure>
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<p>Like many parts of the country, DC has had some serious winter weather in the last week. Unfortunately, the city government’s response has once again demonstrated that when it comes to streets, cars are the priority. Last year, <a href="https://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/knowledge-hub/news/bad-leadership-from-ddot-will-result-in-more-dangerous-streets/">I wrote an article</a> in response to statements by the DDOT director about who the streets of DC should prioritize. Unfortunately, the events of the last week have forced us at Smart Growth America to revisit this topic.</p>
<p>To deal with conditions like we’ve had over the past week, the city has a <a href="https://snow.dc.gov/page/about-snow-team">District Snow Team</a> that includes the Department of Public Works, the District Department of Transportation, and other agencies. I don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes, and there are <a href="https://51st.news/dc-storm-snow-removal-what-happened-plow-tracker/?ref=the-51st-newsletter">multiple factors involved, including the strength of the storm</a>, but from what we see out on the streets, we are unimpressed. After the snow and freezing rain stopped on Sunday, the city began deploying snow plows and other equipment to clear streets. However, while this cleared the way for some vehicle traffic, it did little for people outside of vehicles. In fact, in some cases, the plowing seems to have created additional obstacles like the crosswalk mounds seen in the pictures above. Our friends at Greater Greater Washington have also pointed out how bus stops are being blocked by “<a href="https://ggwash.org/view/102224/who-is-responsible-for-unburying-the-bus-stops">bus berms</a>,” and our team has seen people waiting for the bus out in the streets because the bus shelters are still snowed in. Regarding sidewalks, in DC, property owners are responsible for maintaining them, including snow removal. However, over the past week, the city announced that it is <a href="https://wjla.com/news/local/dc-suspends-fines-for-not-removing-snow-from-sidewalks-shoveling-still-required">suspending fines for failure to comply.</a> This has contributed to the patchwork of sidewalk accessibility across the city.</p>
<p>Transportation cannot mean only driving, and any plans to reopen a city after a major weather event cannot focus on a form of transportation that only serves a portion of residents. One has to wonder about the motivation behind prioritizing vehicular traffic for further destinations, rather than close, community trips to schools, grocery stores, and other key destinations currently blocked for residents.</p>
<p>The failure to deal with the ice and snow and ensure safe mobility options for all residents is bad. But to make things even worse, we have been treated to messages warning people to stay off the streets.</p>
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<figure style="max-width: 520px; margin: 0;"><a href="https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/DDOT2_Dont-Walk-in-the-Street.png"> <img decoding="async" style="width: 100%; height: auto; display: block;" src="https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/DDOT2_Dont-Walk-in-the-Street.png" /> </a></figure>
<figure style="max-width: 520px; margin: 0;"><a href="https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Reddit-post-DC-inaccessible-for-weelchair-user.png"> <img decoding="async" style="width: 100%; height: auto; display: block;" src="https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Reddit-post-DC-inaccessible-for-weelchair-user.png" /> </a><figcaption style="font-size: 14px; color: #555; margin-top: 6px;">I’m also seeing other stories of people struggling around the city. This photo has been getting attention on <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/washingtondc/comments/1qqo1so/dc_gov_is_a_travesty/?share_id=X9prrr1HPXkw3fHZtJdvS&amp;utm_content=2&amp;utm_medium=ios_app&amp;utm_name=ioscss&amp;utm_source=share&amp;utm_term=1">Reddit</a>.</figcaption></figure>
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<p>SGA’s experience with transportation safety and walkability has taught us that people aren’t dumb. They will walk or move in the places and ways that are safest and most accessible for them. If folks are in the street, it is most likely because that is their only option. It is a symptom of decisions and practices from decision-makers at DPW, DDOT, and elsewhere. Rather than blaming pedestrians for trying to reach their destinations, the city should prioritize clearing the snow and ice for all people, no matter how they get around.</p>
<p>Like it or not, it snows in the winter. DC government departments and any aspiring mayoral candidates must learn from the mistakes of the last week and from other cities that are doing a better job. But the lessons should not apply just to extreme weather. The transportation and mobility needs of all residents and visitors must be addressed in a fair and efficient manner.</p>


Accessibility

snow

DC’s streets are for cars…good luck, everyone else

Walk audit along Highway 99

<p><strong>Walk audits can reveal what traffic data alone often misses about how dangerous roadways shape people’s everyday lives. By creating space for residents to share their experiences in real time, walk audits help ground conversations about safety in what people actually encounter on the street. Along Eugene’s Highway 99 and River Road corridors, this approach brought community voices to the forefront.</strong></p>
<p>A city’s streets should serve the people who live there, helping them safely reach essential destinations using the transportation options that work best for their lives. <a href="https://www.best-oregon.org/">Better Eugene–Springfield Transportation (BEST)</a> is a local non-profit organization dedicated to advocating for transportation choices, safe streets, and walkable neighborhoods. With the support of AARP and Smart Growth America team members Mehr Mukhtar, Chris Rall, and Dustin Robertson, BEST convened a community workshop to better understand current conditions and elevate community perspectives along two key Eugene corridors, Highway 99 and River Road.</p>
<p>Too often, planning processes begin with predefined solutions, leaving limited space for ideas shaped by the lived experiences of the people who use streets every day. Walk audits offer an opportunity to flip that script by creating space for learning, listening, and shared understanding. Approaches that center community voices, especially when City staff and decision-makers are present to witness conditions and hear directly from residents, help ground conversations about transportation improvements in real-world experience.</p>
<figure id="attachment_109551" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-109551" style="width: 1024px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Walk-audit-along-Highway-99.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-109551" src="https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Walk-audit-along-Highway-99-1024x768.png" alt="" width="1024" height="768" srcset="https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Walk-audit-along-Highway-99-1024x768.png 1024w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Walk-audit-along-Highway-99-300x225.png 300w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Walk-audit-along-Highway-99-768x576.png 768w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Walk-audit-along-Highway-99-1536x1153.png 1536w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Walk-audit-along-Highway-99.png 1999w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-109551" class="wp-caption-text">Walk audit along Highway 99</figcaption></figure>
<h2>Experiencing the corridors firsthand</h2>
<p>The workshop brought together residents, advocates, local organizations, City of Eugene staff, and elected officials to experience Highway 99 and River Road firsthand and hear directly from the people who use these streets every day. A central component of the workshop was a series of <a href="https://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/knowledge-hub/news/how-walk-audits-help-create-a-safer-built-environment/">walk audits</a> along Highway 99 and River Road, which took place at the outset of each session. On a characteristically rainy Oregon day, participants experienced the corridors together, often having to shout to be heard over vehicles speeding past. As pedestrians, we felt uncomfortable; the environment was noisy, and we were exposed to the rush of traffic. During the audit, one participant noticed a group of high school students huddled under a bus shelter to shield themselves from the rain. This observation sparked a discussion amongst city staff and neighborhood residents about the need for infrastructure that provides covering and seating for people waiting for transit.</p>
<p>These shared experiences helped ground the conversation in reality. Residents walked the corridors alongside City of Eugene staff, who play a key role in planning and implementing street improvements. Seeing street conditions firsthand shifted the conversation from abstract ideas to specific, tangible challenges for people walking, biking, or taking transit.</p>
<figure id="attachment_109550" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-109550" style="width: 1024px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Mayor-Kaarin-Knudson-right-listens-during-the-Highway-99-workshop.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-109550" src="https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Mayor-Kaarin-Knudson-right-listens-during-the-Highway-99-workshop-1024x768.png" alt="" width="1024" height="768" srcset="https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Mayor-Kaarin-Knudson-right-listens-during-the-Highway-99-workshop-1024x768.png 1024w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Mayor-Kaarin-Knudson-right-listens-during-the-Highway-99-workshop-300x225.png 300w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Mayor-Kaarin-Knudson-right-listens-during-the-Highway-99-workshop-768x576.png 768w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Mayor-Kaarin-Knudson-right-listens-during-the-Highway-99-workshop-1536x1153.png 1536w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Mayor-Kaarin-Knudson-right-listens-during-the-Highway-99-workshop.png 1999w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-109550" class="wp-caption-text">Mayor Kaarin Knudson (right) listens during the Highway 99 workshop</figcaption></figure>
<h2>Who was in the room, and why it mattered</h2>
<p>An important aspect of the workshop was the participation of elected officials and local leaders. City council members and Mayor Kaarin Knudson were invited to take part not as speakers, but as participants alongside community members. They walked the corridors, joined small-group discussions, and listened directly to residents’ experiences.</p>
<p>This approach helped reinforce the workshop’s community-driven nature. By experiencing the same conditions and hearing the same conversations, decision-makers who can shape policies and funding were able to gain a deeper understanding of community concerns and priorities.</p>
<h2>Community voices shaping the conversation</h2>
<p>Following the walk audits, community town halls created space for reflection, dialogue, and collaborative brainstorming. Parents arrived with children in tow, seniors rolled in with their bicycles, and neighbors from across the community filled the room. The conversations were candid and often personal, shaped by concern and a shared desire to make the corridors safer. Participants talked through what they had just seen: unsafe crossings, speeding traffic, and inadequate placemaking, and shared how those conditions affect everyday trips. Importantly, this was not a process of reacting to predetermined recommendations for what improvements should be made along the corridors. Instead, community members helped define the issues and elevate priorities based on their experiences.</p>
<figure id="attachment_109549" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-109549" style="width: 1024px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/BEST-director-Rob-Zako-addresses-River-Road-town-hall-participants.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-109549" src="https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/BEST-director-Rob-Zako-addresses-River-Road-town-hall-participants-1024x768.png" alt="" width="1024" height="768" srcset="https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/BEST-director-Rob-Zako-addresses-River-Road-town-hall-participants-1024x768.png 1024w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/BEST-director-Rob-Zako-addresses-River-Road-town-hall-participants-300x225.png 300w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/BEST-director-Rob-Zako-addresses-River-Road-town-hall-participants-768x576.png 768w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/BEST-director-Rob-Zako-addresses-River-Road-town-hall-participants-1536x1153.png 1536w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/BEST-director-Rob-Zako-addresses-River-Road-town-hall-participants.png 1999w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-109549" class="wp-caption-text">BEST director Rob Zako addresses River Road town hall participants</figcaption></figure>
<h2>What’s next?</h2>
<p>Workshops like this one are not an endpoint, but a foundation. The insights gathered along Highway 99 and River Road provide valuable context for future planning and policy conversations in Eugene. Continuing to build on this work will require sustained community engagement and ongoing collaboration among partners.</p>
<p>Organizations like BEST, along with their community partners and the City of Eugene, are well-positioned to continue this work of advancing safer streets, building on a strong ecosystem of partnerships and a shared understanding of community priorities.</p>


On the ground in Eugene: Community-driven insights for better streets

We love Buford Highway

<p><strong>Smart Growth America's Arts and Culture program is looking for six AAPI social practice or community-engaged artists and cultural workers across the American South to join the Outside In Artist Fellowship, a year-long professional development opportunity. Learn more about the program below and <a href="https://forms.gle/vn5Azh3ccAAH7CLy7">apply here by February 27.</a></strong></p>
<p>The fellowship, part of Smart Growth America's <a href="https://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/services/grants/outside-in/"><em>Outside In</em></a> project to document and preserve AAPI suburban histories, will bring together artists from diverse disciplines to explore community-engaged practice, oral history methods, cultural preservation, and the intersections of arts and culture and urban planning. Fellows will receive a $2,500 stipend and participate in six 90-minute virtual learning sessions from March 2026 through February 2027, building skills, networks, and sustainability strategies for long-term community work.</p>
<blockquote>
<h4>"AAPI communities have profoundly shaped suburban landscapes across the South—through commercial corridors, religious institutions, cultural practices, and everyday acts of place building," said <strong>Marian Liou, Director of Arts and Culture at Smart Growth America</strong>. "But these histories often remain invisible in official archives and planning processes. This fellowship centers artists and cultural workers as documentarians, organizers, and visionaries who can make these stories visible and ensure our communities have power in shaping their own futures."</h4>
</blockquote>
<h3>What fellows will learn</h3>
<p>Over the course of six virtual sessions, fellows will:</p>
<ul>
<li>Build oral history and community documentation skills with trauma-informed, culturally sensitive approaches</li>
<li>Understand suburban development systems—zoning, transportation planning, economic development, and how communities can steward change</li>
<li>Have the opportunity to design community-engaged creative projects that surface stories, build power, and create visibility</li>
<li>Learn from national models of AAPI artist-led community development and historic preservation</li>
<li>Join a regional network of AAPI artists and cultural workers building collective power</li>
</ul>
<h3>Who should apply</h3>
<p>The fellowship welcomes AAPI artists and cultural workers of all disciplines and career stages who identify as having a social practice or community-engaged practice and who:</p>
<ul>
<li>Are based in the U.S. South (particularly the Atlanta, Dallas, and Memphis regions, though all Southern states are eligible)</li>
<li>Have a connection to or interest in working with AAPI suburban communities</li>
<li>Have local community ties and prior experience in social or community-engaged practice</li>
<li>Can commit to six 90-minute virtual sessions and light homework between sessions</li>
<li>Want to build skills, network, and long-term sustainability for their community work</li>
</ul>
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<p>Disciplines include but are not limited to: visual arts, performing arts, writing, filmmaking, design, cultural organizing, community history, and all forms of creative practice.</p>
<h3>Fellowship benefits</h3>
<ul>
<li>$2,500 stipend for full participation (25% disbursed up front, 75% upon fellowship completion)</li>
<li>Six expert-led virtual learning sessions with national, regional, and local practitioners</li>
<li>Regional network of peer artists and cultural workers</li>
<li>Ongoing support through office hours, mentorship, and cohort connection</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Dates</h3>
<ul>
<li><strong>Application deadline</strong>: February 27, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. ET</li>
<li><strong>Fellows notified</strong>: March 13, 2026</li>
<li><strong>Sessions will take place virtually</strong>: March 26, April 30, June 25, September 24, December 3, 2026; February 25, 2027</li>
<li><strong>Fellowship period</strong>: March 2026–February 2027</li>
</ul>
<h3>How to Apply</h3>
<p>The application takes approximately 15 minutes to complete and asks about your community connections, creative practice, and fellowship goals. No extensive portfolio or writing samples required.</p>
<p><strong>Apply online</strong>: <a href="https://forms.gle/vn5Azh3ccAAH7CLy7">2026-2027 Outside In Artist Fellowship Application</a></p>
<p><strong>Questions?</strong> Contact Marian Liou, Director of Arts and Culture<br />
Email: <a href="mailto:mliou@smartgrowthamerica.org">mliou@smartgrowthamerica.org</a></p>


AAPI

artists

Outside In

South

Applications open for Outside In artist fellowship for AAPI artists and cultural workers across the South

Arts and Culture

Technical assistance

SGA@25_Beth Remarks

<p><strong>Last week, we gathered nearly 300 friends, partners, and leaders for SGA@25, an event marking 25 years of Smart Growth America’s impact. Celebrating 25 years of Smart Growth America is a chance to reflect on how far the movement has come and why this work remains essential as communities face interconnected challenges across housing, transportation, land use, and equity.</strong></p>
<p>SGA@25 brought together generations of staff, longtime collaborators, and newer partners to reflect on our wins from over the years and how the smart growth movement has grown and evolved. It was a chance to reconnect, take stock, and reaffirm the importance of aligning transportation, housing, and development decisions to create healthy, prosperous, and resilient communities. For 25 years, Smart Growth America has helped communities navigate outdated rules and systems, translating on-the-ground experience into practical policy reform.</p>
<figure id="attachment_109431" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-109431" style="width: 1024px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/DSC09230.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-109431 size-large" src="https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/DSC09230-1024x683.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/DSC09230-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/DSC09230-300x200.jpg 300w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/DSC09230-768x512.jpg 768w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/DSC09230-1536x1025.jpg 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-109431" class="wp-caption-text">Current and former Smart Growth America staff gathered to mark 25 years of the organization’s work.</figcaption></figure>
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<p>The event would not have been possible without the generous support of our sponsors, including the Surdna Foundation, the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, and the Natural Resources Defense Council, who went above and beyond to make this evening a success. Thanks to our sponsors and attendees, we raised nearly $130,000 to support our work during a challenging moment for nonprofits and to ensure we can continue providing hands-on support to communities nationwide. That support helps ensure communities see real results from the policies and investments shaping their futures.</p>
<p>The conversations we shared didn’t just celebrate the past. They reinforced why Smart Growth America’s work remains essential and helped sharpen our focus on what comes next. We were grateful for thoughtful remarks from our Board Chair Madeline Fraser Cook, LOCUS Chair Alecia Hill, and longtime partner Polly Trottenberg, who each spoke to the importance of Smart Growth America’s leadership, clear-eyed priorities, and collaborative action. Their remarks underscored why Smart Growth America’s role as a connector, translator, and partner remains essential at a time when many communities are navigating uncertainty and change.</p>
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<p>As we look ahead to the next 25 years of the smart growth movement, we know that this work remains a collective effort. While our progress is real, the work ahead remains unfinished, and it will require the same persistence that has defined the movement from the start. With friends, supporters, and partners new and old in the fold, we remain committed to continuing to advance policies and practices that help communities thrive.</p>
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<div style="display: flex; gap: 16px; flex-wrap: wrap;">[alert type="info"] Learn more about SGA’s recent progress in our 2025 Annual Report. Despite a challenging year, we supported communities across 46 states and DC, advanced practical policy solutions, and turned on-the-ground work into measurable impact.<a href="https://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/knowledge-hub/resources/2025-annual-report/">Read the 2025 Annual Report</a>[/alert]</p>
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SGA@25

Staff

SGA@25: Celebrating 25 years of Smart Growth America

SGEquitySummit_20250326_080625-0010_SNH

<p>For the past several years, the Equity Summit has hosted meaningful conversations on strategies to advance racial equity through the built environment. We know many of you look forward to it each year, and we’re grateful for the energy, insight, and commitment you’ve brought to the summit and the broader smart growth movement.</p>
<p>This year, Smart Growth America will not be hosting the Equity Summit. After careful consideration, we determined that 2026 is the right moment to pause the summit. Rather than convening a large national event in DC this year, we’re investing our time and resources in a set of smaller, high-impact “vanguard” conversations focused on the intersections between health equity, land use, and housing, where some of the most urgent and consequential debates are happening right now. We’ll host these events in partnership with community-based organizations we have worked with, at locations across the country.</p>
<p>These conversations will bring together practitioners and local leaders with the goal of producing tangible tools that can be used, identifying tools and replicable strategies that can be implemented across the country to advance more housing in the right places at the right price. <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSegZ7f5QuGpjcmdqL5Cy74kBJUU_NL3iC8j7OYv8GKgbglHkA/viewform?usp=sharing&amp;ouid=104508320995640583198">If you would like to express interest in or provide ideas for one of these events, see this form.</a></p>
<p>We hope to bring the Equity Summit back in the future. This pause is intentional, not a step away from our equity work. Helping to create communities where everyone can thrive remains central to Smart Growth America’s mission.</p>
<p>As our plans for these conversations move forward, we’ll share updates and opportunities for you to get involved. Thank you for your continued engagement and your commitment to building communities that are more healthy, prosperous, and resilient.</p>
<p>Finally, we are actively exploring ways to bring the Equity Summit back in the future, and doing so will require strong partners and sponsors. If your organization is interested in supporting, sponsoring, or helping shape the next Equity Summit, we would welcome the opportunity to discuss. Please get in touch to learn more.</p>


Equity Summit

An update on the Equity Summit and what’s next

Advancing Racial Equity

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<p><strong><a href="https://www.bluntrochester.senate.gov/news/press-releases/news-senators-blunt-rochester-and-curtis-introduce-bill-to-spur-housing-construction-near-transportation-hubs/">On January 14th, the Build Housing, Unlock Benefits and Services (Build HUBS) Act was introduced</a> by bipartisan champions Sen. Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Sen. Curtis (R-UT), Rep. Friedman (D-CA), and Rep. Lawler (R-NY). This legislation will make critical reforms to the Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing (RRIF) and Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) programs to support the creation of more transit-oriented development (TOD) projects.</strong></p>
<p>Communities across the country are facing a housing affordability and access crisis. While addressing the shortage of affordable homes will take a constellation of policy interventions, unlocking financing for the development of housing near jobs, services, and transit projects through refinements to two existing programs—the Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing (RRIF) and the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) programs—is a meaningful step. The LOCUS-championed Build HUBS Act was introduced on January 14 and is intended to make just such changes.</p>
<h3>Background</h3>
<p>RRIF and TIFIA are two federal financing programs that offer very low-interest direct loans for transit-oriented development (TOD) projects within a ½ mile of a qualifying station/facility. While they have great potential, burdensome requirements not aligned with typical development processes have prevented many developers from accessing the loans. The loan time lags the standard market timeline for real estate, and the lengthy and uncertain process has often proved unworkable for projects. Smaller projects can barely cover the high base-level fees, killing them almost immediately. Other issues, such as extensive NEPA requirements, also slow down projects and deter developers. These hurdles have weakened the programs so much that only <a href="https://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/knowledge-hub/news/tifias-first-transit-oriented-development-loan-approval/">one TOD project</a> has been successfully financed to date. In addition to these stumbling blocks, Smart Growth America’s <a href="https://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/programs-and-coalitions/locus/">LOCUS</a> coalition of real estate developers and investors identified <a href="https://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/knowledge-hub/news/reforming-transit-oriented-development-financing-at-the-federal-level-to-unlock-housing-and-economic-growth/">other areas within the programs</a> that would allow it to better support transit-oriented development projects.</p>
<p>LOCUS took a leadership role in championing language in the FAST Act that added transit-oriented development project eligibility in the RRIF and TIFIA programs and has worked in the intervening years to make those programs work for developers and communities. As purpose-driven developers and investors championing smart growth policy, LOCUS understands the benefits of TOD, an <a href="https://www.transit.dot.gov/TOD">urban planning strategy</a> that focuses on building commercial and residential spaces near transit stations to maximize the benefits of current transit investments. TOD has many economic advantages that stem from <a href="https://www.frbsf.org/wp-content/uploads/G_LeRoy.pdf">better connecting people</a> to job opportunities and providing housing in desirable <a href="https://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/knowledge-hub/news/demand-for-walkable-places-remains-high/">walkable communities.</a> From a transit agency’s perspective, TOD can <a href="https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/news/transit-oriented-development-cities-boost-ridership-affordable-housing/621378/">increase ridership</a>, a boon for transit systems seeking more riders and financial stability. By improving access to transit, promoting productive land use, and boosting economic activity, TOD can strengthen communities and create new economic opportunities.</p>
<h3>The reforms in Build HUBS</h3>
<p>LOCUS collaborated extensively with members of Congress to develop the newly introduced Build HUBS Act. The Build HUBS Act aims to address existing problems with both programs by easing burdensome and mismatched requirements around creditworthiness, instead adopting a proven underwriting model to reduce process delays, and providing specific regulatory relief. It also looks to promote the development of workforce housing by providing additional incentives for attainable housing projects.</p>
<p>Specifically, the Build HUBS Act would improve the two programs by:</p>
<ul>
<li>Allowing measures of project creditworthiness other than an investment grade rating under the TIFIA program;</li>
<li>Creating a delegated origination and underwriting model for both RRIF and TIFIA in which delegated originator-servicers perform origination, underwriting, and servicing under DOT supervision;</li>
<li>Creating a new attainable housing project designation that would allow projects where a majority of residential units are affordable to people at 80 percent of AMI, and all units are under 120 percent AMI to access financing at 1/2 the Treasury rate,</li>
<li>Extending the authorization for both programs to fund TOD projects;</li>
<li>Providing relief on certain requirements under the National Environmental Policy Act, including for office to residential conversion and infill development; and</li>
<li>Making a collection of important administrative adjustments, including changes aimed at streamlining the loan consideration process, providing clarity on fees and MPO coordination requirements, and clarifying the definition of TOD to better capture the wide range of types of transportation assets that can anchor TOD across communities of all sizes.</li>
</ul>
<p>By making these changes, the Build HUBS Act would improve government efficiency, strengthen public-private partnerships, and unlock new homes and economic growth. As the bill moves forward, LOCUS and Smart Growth America will continue to champion the bill and ensure priority reforms are included in the upcoming surface transportation reauthorization bill.</p>
<h3>Support Build HUBS</h3>
<p>If passed, the Build HUBS Act could support TOD projects in communities of all sizes and create new housing in well-connected locations. Now is the time to call on your representatives to support transit-oriented development and the benefits it can bring to your community. Your members of Congress need to hear from you. Email your representatives here and have your voice heard today!</p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">[button type="primary" size="lg" link="https://smartgrowthamerica.salsalabs.org/2026_build_hubs_act/index.html"] TAKE ACTION [/button]</span></p>


Critical reforms to encourage transit-oriented development are en route

Land Use and Development

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<p><strong>Smart Growth America's <a href="https://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/knowledge-hub/resources/arts-and-culture-blueprint/">new report</a>, Lessons from the Culture and Community Network: Integrating Arts and Culture into Regional Planning, is a comprehensive blueprint drawn from the experiences of nine metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) that spent six months exploring how creative strategies can make planning more accessible, equitable, and holistic.</strong></p>
<p>Traditional approaches to public involvement consistently fail to engage the communities most impacted by infrastructure and planning decisions. These methods typically favor wealthier property owners with knowledge, access, and capacity to influence decision-making while excluding others, harming both the communities excluded from these processes and the quality of planning outcomes. New and different approaches are needed.</p>
<p>From April through October 2025, Smart Growth America convened the <a href="https://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/programs-and-coalitions/arts-and-culture/culture-community-network/">Culture and Community Network (CCN)</a>, bringing together staff from MPOs across the country. Through peer learning, structured reflection, and hands-on experimentation, participating agencies tested new approaches and creative methods rather than further navigation of opaque government processes.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/knowledge-hub/resources/arts-and-culture-blueprint/">Our new report</a> documents both successes and challenges experienced through CCN. It addresses the pitfalls: agencies that focus on visual or temporary art production without examining systemic outcomes or reimagining internal procurement processes; organizations that articulate transformative values and goals while maintaining status quo cultures; and the risk of unilaterally imposing creative approaches rather than co-creating them with artists, cultural workers, and communities. This honest assessment makes the successes more meaningful and provides practical guidance for others beginning this work.</p>
<p>Three distinct pathways emerge. Some agencies start from scratch with small experiments. Others build on years of sporadic initiatives toward sustained integration. Established programs learn to expand from single grant initiatives to agency-wide transformation. The Atlanta Regional Commission's decade-long journey provides an in-depth case study, demonstrating how one MPO moved arts and culture work into core departments, began compensating community-based organizations for their expertise, and shifted from treating artists as vendors to engaging them as essential partners in the planning process.</p>
<p>The report's most significant insight: organizational size matters far less than organizational culture. A small MPO willing to challenge its own processes and embrace non-linear progress can achieve deeper transformation than a large agency with extensive resources but resistance to systems change. Meaningful integration requires moving beyond tactical demonstrations and visual interventions toward genuine co-design, transformed internal processes, and equitable systems change. The Culture and Community Network has demonstrated that MPOs don't have to navigate this work alone. Peer learning, tailored support, and structured reflection accelerate progress and sustain momentum when challenges arise.</p>
<p>This blueprint is designed for changemakers: MPO staff working in engagement, equity, or planning; executive directors and board members considering new approaches; arts and culture professionals interested in civic work; and funders looking to support innovation in regional transportation, land use, and infrastructure planning. The future of regional planning depends not only on data and engineering, but also on creativity, culture, and human connection. This report offers practical guidance for MPOs ready to lead that transformation.</p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">[button type="info" block="true" size="lg" link="https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Blueprint-2.0-FINAL-Jan-2026.pdf"]Check out the full report! [/button]</span></p>
<p>Smart Growth America is exploring funding and support for future iterations of the Culture and Community Network. Organizations interested in joining a future cohort, or funders interested in supporting this work, can contact SGA’s Director of Arts and Culture Marian Liou at <a href="mailto:mliou@smartgrowthamerica.org">mliou@smartgrowthamerica.org</a>.</p>


Culture and Community Network

Lessons from Smart Growth America’s Culture and Community Network: A Blueprint for Integrating Arts and Culture into Regional Planning

Creative Placemaking

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<p><strong>SGA’s Community Connectors is a year-long program that supports three teams as they work to repair divisive infrastructure, improve safety, and advance lasting community reconnections. By pairing community-based organizations with local government partners, the program centers collaboration through learning sessions, hands-on workshops, and quick-build demonstration projects.</strong></p>
<p>At its core, Community Connectors is about people. Our new blog series highlights the participants leading this work, offering a glimpse into how their journeys began and how deeply their commitment now runs.</p>
<p>Get to know Nancy Goldring, a co-lead for Historic East Towson in this year’s <a href="https://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/knowledge-center/three-communities-selected-to-learn-about-and-design-quick-build-demonstration-projects/">Community Connectors program</a>. Nancy is president of the <a href="https://www.historiceasttowson.org/">Northeast Towson Improvement Association, Inc</a>. where her work includes building the <a href="https://www.roadtofreedomtrail.org/">Road to Freedom Trail.</a></p>
<p><em>The conversation below has been condensed and lightly edited.</em></p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-109146" src="https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/IMG_2694.jpeg" alt="" width="640" height="480" srcset="https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/IMG_2694.jpeg 640w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/IMG_2694-300x225.jpeg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" /></p>
<h3>What got you interested in transportation, planning, and reconnecting the community you’re in?</h3>
<p>Working with my community, and more specifically the Road to Freedom Trail project. The Road to Freedom Trail project is a cycling and pedestrian trail that connects thirteen sites of historical significance, from the <a href="https://www.nps.gov/hamp/index.htm">Hampton National Historic Site</a>, which had been a former industrial plantation, to East Towson. Hampton dates back to the 1700s and there are two log houses that date back to the 1800s. All of these sites are intact and exist on the landscape of Towson. The trail maps the history of the area, in much the same way you could map the history of the nation.</p>
<p>My grandmother had been the community association president for close to 30 years. She passed away in April of 2020, and I more or less inherited the position. It wasn't a role I ever expected to hold. However, I was born and raised here, and I have lived in Atlanta, Chicago, and New York, and between all of those cities, I would always come back here. So this is a community of people who have raised me, with whom I have grown up. It definitely has a huge piece of my heart, and in many ways that makes the work effortless.</p>
<h3>What is something you’ve learned so far from this program that you want other people to know?</h3>
<p>A wonderful thing is all of the many treatments and innovations for issues of traffic safety, accessibility, and beautification. This is our opportunity to really open that conversation up and be taken seriously about some of the issues that are happening here. I never knew that we could try something or that there are tools where you can try a traffic calming measure to see how people respond, to see if it really is workable. You can take it away if it doesn't work, or you can make it more permanent if it turns out that it does. The flexibility available in transportation has been a big surprise for me.</p>
<h3>What are you excited to share with the cohort? What past experience do you want to share that your team can learn from?</h3>
<p>These projects that we're working on are the result of divisive infrastructure. The thing that I rarely hear, that I appreciate being able to bring to the conversation, is wanting to have both sides of the conversation. It, to me, is the only way to mitigate the impulse to vilify. To remove the blame game and share the responsibility, you have to know the other side of the story.</p>
<p>What I'm learning in my own journey with community work is oftentimes the community is seen as just a box you need to check. Then you get outcomes and resistance that you hadn't banked on because you weren't really engaged, you were just checking the box. Most of the time it's like, “let's just go hear the community out.” This idea of people being heard, I think, is a magic trick with deep pockets. I don't just need to be heard, I need to see something happen from what I said.</p>
<p>If I can bring anything to this experience, it's that kind of deeper listening for real partnership, and how we can navigate our way constructively through the hard spaces in the conversation. We can wear the past down with something fresh and new and healthy and sustainable for all of us.</p>
<h3>What do you hope to leave behind for your community?</h3>
<p>I want to have positioned my community, in whatever small way, that it can to continue. It has a deep, enduring, and abiding history. There's a lot of relationship and connection here. The word community is kicked around a lot these days, and people create communities for all kinds of reasons. There's a community to lose weight, there's a community to Gua Sha, there's a community for chess, there's a community for knitting. There's all these communities, but very rarely are they with the people that you live with and are around every day. There’s this idea that people that we have interests with are safer to know than the people that live next door.</p>
<p>I think that the value of Historic East Towson is preserving the identity of “community,” the idea that you can call your neighbor if you need something. We say that you know your neighbor by name and you can call for a cup of sugar. Nobody needs a cup of sugar these days, but it isn't so much about calling on your neighbor, it's knowing that you can. You may never need them, but if you needed them and you didn't call them, they would be upset with you.</p>
<h3>What advice would you have for someone looking to start a project like this in their own community?</h3>
<p>Trust that if you keep going, the magic will keep happening. Something comes to knock you down, something else will come and pick you up. That kind of magic has followed this project from its very beginning and I think it's the thing that keeps us all going.</p>
<p><em>Community Connectors is supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.</em></p>


Community Connectors

Community Connectors participant spotlight: Nancy Goldring

Ernest Banks 2

<p><strong>SGA’s Community Connectors is a year-long program that supports three teams as they work to repair divisive infrastructure, improve safety, and advance lasting community reconnections. By pairing community-based organizations with local government partners, the program centers collaboration through learning sessions, hands-on workshops, and quick-build demonstration projects.</strong></p>
<p>At its core, Community Connectors is about people. Our new blog series highlights the participants leading this work, offering a glimpse into how their journeys began and how deeply their commitment now runs.</p>
<p>Get to know Ernest Banks, a co-lead for Little Rock in this year’s <a href="https://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/knowledge-center/three-communities-selected-to-learn-about-and-design-quick-build-demonstration-projects/">Community Connectors program.</a> Ernest is the director of <a href="https://www.studio-main.org/">studioMAIN</a>, a nonprofit design advocacy group, founder of the <a href="https://www.studio-main.org/rise">RISE</a> scholarship program, and an architectural designer at Polk Stanley Wilcox.</p>
<p><em>The conversation below has been condensed and lightly edited.</em></p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-109149" src="https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Ernest-Banks-2.jpg" alt="" width="750" height="500" srcset="https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Ernest-Banks-2.jpg 750w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Ernest-Banks-2-300x200.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px" /></p>
<h3>What got you interested in transportation, planning, and reconnecting the community you’re in?</h3>
<p>Being an architectural designer, you're naturally drawn to urban planning and how communities are connected. As soon as I graduated from college, I knew that I wanted to return to my hometown to be a part of the process. Being a designer in a smaller city gives me an opportunity to sit in on talks that in other cities may not let a younger designer be part of. Just out of school, being a part of that whole process, got me motivated to do more community work. That's where I find myself today with studioMAIN, an architectural nonprofit that works in communities to help solve community spatial issues through community feedback and partnership. It's just been an amazing experience so far.</p>
<h3>What are you excited to bring to the cohort, and what past experience do you want to share that the team can learn from?</h3>
<p>I'm really excited to bring some of that young, fresh design energy into the mix. Being an architect, your mind is hardwired to think about things a little bit differently. A lot of the details that some people may just pass, you're really dialed into. I'm hoping to bring that spatial design eye to the cohort and share my experiences with them.</p>
<p>Having worked on a couple of different buildings and spaces, I hope to be able to share the sentiment where after we complete a project, my clients are just so excited and happy. On paper, they saw the drawings and they saw the plans and they didn't really get it, but then when they finally were in those spaces, their minds were just blown away, and all the possibilities were opened up to them. I hope that I can help some of the cohort that are currently in the planning phase, that have everything on paper, but don't have that visual connection to it yet.</p>
<h3>What is something you’ve learned so far that you want other people to know?</h3>
<p>The whole process of trying to get local stakeholder buy-in has been very challenging. People know about the history of West Ninth Street. It's sacred to them and they want to honor it. When I'm trying to pitch the idea of revitalizing the area, some communities have told me “In the short term, you are doing something that celebrates the history and that's cool, but what does it mean for the African American community in the future?” That pushback has been from my own community, and it's been really tough trying to explain the process of how city development works, while also knowing that city leadership is not this pillar of perfection. They're going to make mistakes, but it's better to try something than do nothing.</p>
<p>The City of Little Rock adopted a master plan last year that identified West Ninth Street as an area of future development and focus. Piggybacking off of that gives credibility to what we're doing with Smart Growth America, and how we are trying to implement this project as a supplemental mini-master plan for West Ninth Street. Also, my team internally is coming up with really unique ways on how, even though Black businesses don't exist along West Ninth Street, to bring in those small business owners.</p>
<p>Then the lesson I learned is, you have to meet with local stakeholders where they are and you have to really create a compelling argument to convince them that you are approaching this project with good intentions, and that the people you're trying to involve are like-minded in your objectives.</p>
<h3>What advice would you have for someone looking to start a demonstration project in their own community?</h3>
<p>First you need to find a champion. Finding a local champion that is super behind you, that has the time, that has the resources, makes the world of difference.</p>
<h3>What’s one go-to resource every person doing this work should have in their toolbox?</h3>
<p>You really can't do anything in your city unless you have the permission of the city leadership. Have a good relationship with your public works department and traffic engineers so that you all can work together to successfully implement some of these design changes to your urban city centers.</p>
<h3>What impact do you hope to have in your community?</h3>
<p>Just showing how boots on the ground, grassroots efforts, no matter how small, can have an impact. You just have to start somewhere. I've seen development in other states and other cities, where it started with one person that cared and it just took off from that. Being able to take something that you know is precious to the community, putting in this level of attention and care into something that they see is important, and showing the community what's possible from that engagement with them, is what I would like to leave behind for this project. Showing that we did this here on West Ninth Street, and we can do it anywhere across Little Rock or the state of Arkansas with the right kind of energy behind it. Others have shared the same kind of sentiment; they want this project to be a case study for what's possible in other areas of the state.</p>
<p><em>Community Connectors is supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.</em></p>


Community Connectors participant spotlight: Ernest Banks

Joe Tucker

<p><strong>SGA’s Community Connectors is a year-long program that supports three teams as they work to repair divisive infrastructure, improve safety, and advance lasting community reconnections. By pairing community-based organizations with local government partners, the program centers collaboration through learning sessions, hands-on workshops, and quick-build demonstration projects.</strong></p>
<p>At its core, Community Connectors is about people. Our new blog series highlights the participants leading this work, offering a glimpse into how their journeys began and how deeply their commitment now runs.</p>
<p>Get to know Joe Tucker, a co-lead for Akron, OH, in this year’s <a href="https://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/knowledge-center/three-communities-selected-to-learn-about-and-design-quick-build-demonstration-projects/">Community Connectors program</a>. Joe is treasurer of Summit Lake Community Development Corporation, executive director of South Street Ministries, and has been a neighborhood ambassador with the City of Akron.</p>
<p><em>The conversation below has been condensed and lightly edited.</em></p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-109153" src="https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Joe-Tucker-1024x768.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="768" srcset="https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Joe-Tucker-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Joe-Tucker-300x225.jpg 300w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Joe-Tucker-768x576.jpg 768w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Joe-Tucker-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Joe-Tucker.jpg 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></p>
<h3>What got you interested in transportation, planning, and reconnecting the community you’re in?</h3>
<p>I didn't care much for zoning or transportation or anything of the sort until I began to understand development from a faith-based perspective. One of the tenants of my faith is loving my neighbor; it’s the second greatest commandment. I worked with a volunteer organization fresh out of college called Mission Year, which was connected to a group called <a href="https://ccda.org/">Christian Community Development Association (CCDA)</a>. It's a part that South Street Ministries, where I work vocationally, is connected to and I serve in the Community Development Corporation as a collaborator in my role of South Street, but also my role in the neighborhood.</p>
<p>From that notion of loving your neighbor, the association has a philosophy of then loving your neighborhood. So part of loving your neighborhood has been understanding the functions of your neighborhood. Doing a deeper dive into the functions of zoning and strengths and limitations of transportation policy has been an extension of “what does it mean to love my neighbor well?” It's what lets me love my neighborhood well and how I understand the rhythms, the structures, the integrations of my neighborhood, as it relates to both my faith background but also my perspective of justice and community.</p>
<h3>What are you excited to bring to the cohort?</h3>
<p>Integrating faith-based aspects with community engagement aspects always brings me a lot of deep joy and personal satisfaction. Churches are often large swaths of property in a lot of urban hubs that don't often get activated or utilized as they woulda, coulda, shoulda. Seeing that move in ways that are positive always makes me happy, especially when the motivation is going to be understood from a congregation and from a faith based perspective.</p>
<p>I personally just love intentional neighborhood canvassing to get the word out about events. It's not rocket science, you walk around the street and pass out flyers. Even with all of our social media and various technological communication methods, which I don't dismiss or disparage, but in the context we often work with, you just can't beat canvassing.</p>
<h3>Could you talk a bit more about bringing a congregation into faith-based community engagement?</h3>
<p>Every church will be different. Maybe you'll get an old-timey church where they keep their body and church present, but they're not community engaged. Sometimes it’s just convincing them to open their doors or be more open to shared usage agreements for after school programs, or really strategically at some point succession planning for what that building could shift towards, if not still a congregation. Other times you'll get commuter institutions that are still well attended, but they're really not reflective of the neighborhood. With those, it's a little bit more of helping them understand that loving your neighbor means loving your neighborhood. So explaining, when I go canvassing, nothing’s stopping me from praying with a neighbor if they've had a bad day, you know? It's one thing to run a food pantry, but could we look at how to get a grocer into this neighborhood? For faith bodies, it's often helping them go from an individual salvific understanding of faith to a more systemic application of engagement and whole-person flourishing.</p>
<h3>What is something you’ve learned so far from this program that you want other people to know?</h3>
<p>I have always liked the <a href="https://www.betterblock.org/">Better Block</a> activation model of trying something, activating it, getting feedback, and seeing how it goes. That activation model has been wonderful for Summit Lake. We've been able to activate, assess, and then sustain things. So that premise and philosophy has been one that I'm really excited about.</p>
<h3>What advice would you have for someone looking to start a project like this in their own community?</h3>
<p>My go-to advice is to make sure you listen to the neighborhood, make sure you have your pulse on what neighbors are actually saying. Between churches, corner stores, and canvassing, have you listened well to what neighbors and residents are actually saying and want for a project like this? I think there are a lot of systems that stripe and zone and rearrange streets without too much neighborhood input. For me, neighborhood input is always really important, but I've been to enough city sessions where it's a very ill-attended and sparse gathering of residents, because they just haven't put the work in to listen to the neighborhood. A civic session just generally, in my opinion, isn't sufficient to actually get real, genuine neighborhood input. My biggest advice would be: just because you host, it doesn't mean folks are going to come. You have to go to them and listen.</p>
<h3>What does success look like for you?</h3>
<p>Success looks like strong, positive neighborhood feedback, if folks say “that was good, they did a good job.” That sentimentality of positivity based on a physical change, to me, is a huge success. Especially if it's a capital project and you see its activation and use in continuation, that is a startling success.</p>
<h3>What’s one go-to resource every person doing this work should have in their toolbox?</h3>
<p>Sneakers.</p>
<p><em>Community Connectors is supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.</em></p>


Community Connectors participant spotlight: Joe Tucker

Press-Release

<p><strong>Washington, D.C. (January 8) – Smart Growth America today announced the four community partners who will lead the <a href="https://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/knowledge-hub/news/mellon-foundation-awards-450000-grant-to-smart-growth-america-to-support-landmark-project-illuminating-aapi-suburban-histories-in-the-american-south/">Outside In</a> project, a two-year initiative to document and celebrate the underrecognized histories of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities in the suburban South.</strong></p>
<p>Outside In will be anchored by four community-based teams deeply rooted in their regions: 85 Community Development Corporation and We Love Buford Highway in Atlanta, Dallas Asian American Historical Society in Dallas, and Rhodes College’s Urban Studies Department and the Asian and Asian American Studies Program in Memphis. Together with Smart Growth America, these partners will gather oral histories, map culturally significant places, and create community-driven art and engagement activities that illuminate how AAPI communities have transformed the Southern suburban landscape since the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act.</p>
<p>"The strength of this project lies in the deep knowledge and commitment of our community partners," <strong>said Marian Liou, Director of Arts &amp; Culture at Smart Growth America and project lead.</strong> "Each organization brings deep experience in cultural work, organizing, and storytelling within their communities. They understand intimately how AAPI communities have shaped the built environment in suburban Atlanta, Dallas, and Memphis—and how essential it is to make those stories visible. We're honored to support their leadership in this work."</p>
<p>Atlanta, Dallas, and Memphis represent three distinct trajectories of AAPI suburban growth in the South: Dallas-Fort Worth ranks among the top regions nationally in AAPI population growth and exemplifies rapid, large-scale suburban development; Atlanta demonstrates sustained regional hub growth with highly concentrated settlement corridors; and Memphis illustrates the experiences of smaller, more dispersed AAPI communities. Together, they offer a comprehensive view of how these communities have reshaped the South.</p>
<p>The four partner organizations represent diverse approaches to cultural preservation and community building:</p>
<p><strong><a href="https://85cdc.org/">85 Community Development Corporation</a></strong> (Atlanta) serves diverse communities along Interstate 85 in northeast Metro Atlanta, advancing community well-being through culturally specific services and economic development. The organization builds meaningful connections through accessible programming that centers immigrant and AAPI experiences in Gwinnett County, one of the most diverse counties in the Southeast.</p>
<p><strong><a href="https://welovebuhi.org/">We Love Buford Highway</a></strong> (Atlanta) preserves the multicultural identity of Atlanta's Buford Highway corridor, building a diverse coalition to illuminate how immigrants thrive in a changing South. The organization supports immigrant entrepreneurs and small businesses through its business directory and support services, while collecting, archiving, and sharing immigrant experiences. We Love Buford Highway regularly partners with local artists for public art and creative placemaking initiatives that uplift customs, heritage, and cultural norms to better serve and engage the corridor's diverse communities.</p>
<p><strong><a href="https://dallasasianhistory.org/">Dallas Asian American Historical Society</a></strong> researches, preserves, and amplifies the legacy of Asian Americans in the Dallas area. As both a local archive and statewide cultural anchor, DAAHS offers exhibitions, oral history collection, digitization services, and collaborative programming that reflects the full spectrum of Asian American experiences in Texas.</p>
<p><strong><a href="https://www.rhodes.edu/academics/majors-minors/asian-asian-american-studies">The Asian and Asian American Studies Program</a></strong> at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee, seeks to promote the understanding of histories and cultures in Asia, its complex relations with the world, as well as the diasporic and racial/ethnic/cultural experiences of AAPI communities in the U.S. and in the Mid-South region. <a href="https://www.rhodes.edu/academics/majors-minors/urban-studies">The Urban Studies Department</a> enables students to explore and understand urban experiences in their richness and complexity and to appreciate how urban social contexts shape human health.</p>
<p>"Too often, the stories of AAPI communities in places like Dallas are treated as footnotes or left out entirely when the reality is that we have been building, adapting, and claiming space here for decades," <strong>said Stephanie Drenka, co-founder and executive director of Dallas Asian American Historical Society. "</strong>This project creates the infrastructure to document those histories on our own terms, through our own voices, and to ensure that the places we've transformed are recognized and stewarded for future generations. It's about visibility and power, specifically the power that comes from naming our own stories and shaping how our communities are understood and valued."</p>
<p>Through the Outside In project, each partner organization will:</p>
<ul>
<li>Conduct oral histories with community members to document stories of migration, adaptation, and placemaking;<br />
Identify and map culturally significant sites such as commercial hubs, religious institutions, gathering spaces, and residential neighborhoods;</li>
<li>Lead community engagement activities, including storytelling events, walking tours, and temporary art installations;</li>
<li>Participate in a regional learning cohort and national convening to share preservation, place-building, and advocacy strategies and build connections across regions; and</li>
<li>Contribute to a final report and public presentations that translate program findings into advocacy and policy recommendations.</li>
</ul>
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<p>The project will also establish a cross-sector network linking community organizers, historians, artists, planners, and designers across the South to support long-term cultural stewardship and equitable development strategies led by AAPI communities.</p>
<p>"By recovering and interpreting these layered histories through community-led research and creative practice, we aim to embed AAPI perspectives more fully within the cultural and civic fabric of the places they have shaped," added Liou. "This is just the beginning of a much longer conversation about belonging, memory, and the right to place."</p>
<p>Project activities will begin in early 2026, with initial research, oral history collection, and community engagement activities taking place throughout the year. Public programming and exhibitions will be announced as they are developed in partnership with each community.</p>
<p>For more information about the Outside In project, contact <a href="mailto:outsidein@smartgrowthamerica.org">outsidein@smartgrowthamerica.org</a>.</p>


Press release: Smart Growth America Announces Community Partners for “Outside In” Project Illuminating AAPI Suburban Histories Across the American South

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