A technical assistance report from Smart Growth America aims to increase the Tennessee DOT’s efficiency and ensure the greatest possible return on transportation investments. As a result, TDOT has compiled a series of recommendations designed to pin down areas for improvement, prioritize projects, and streamline processes.
Smart Growth America
SSTI and SGA release “The Innovative DOT”
Revenues are falling and budgets are shrinking. Yet state Departments of Transportation have ambitious goals. SSTI has partnered with Smart Growth America to develop “The Innovative DOT: A Handbook of Policy and Practice” as a resource for state transportation officials and other stakeholders. The handbook provides 31 recommendations for transportation officials who are positioning their agencies for success in the new economy.
Smart Growth America helps Tennessee with familiar problem: Many projects and limited funds
A technical assistance report from Smart Growth America revealed that Tennessee DOT has a problem: nine times more projects in its work plan than it has funding. They needed an analysis of which projects were a priority and how some needs might be addressed by less expensive solutions.
Complete Streets: Policy Analysis 2011 and Local Policy Workbook (Smart Growth America and National Complete Streets Coalition, 2012)
Smart Growth America has released a report that summarizes surveys of the more than 350 complete streets policies that have been approved by communities across the United States. Also available is the latest edition of the Complete Streets Local Policy Workbook, which is intended to assist transportation experts and local leaders with developing complete streets policies.
How do we get “everyday Americans” to support transportation funding?
Despite the fact that everyone uses some mode of transportation, a recent article in Governing Magazine explored the transportation community’s failure to engage “everyday Americans,” in the need for transportation investments. There is too much at stake – jobs, money, infrastructure – for people to ignore these critical issues. If we want policymakers to make smart transportation decisions, they need to feel pressure from their constituents. The article finds that we aren’t reaching “everyday Americans” because the messages that the transportation community has been using doesn’t resonate with them. How do we fix this communications challenge?
Getting Back on Track: Aligning State Transportation Policy with Climate Change Goals
A new report by NRDC and Smart Growth America analyzes each state’s transportation policies and evaluates how they support efforts to reduce GHG emissions. The report can be found on both the NRDC and Smart …