Alt text: a dining room filled with people seated at long tables below a chandelier at the 11th annual Complete Streets Dinner.
On Tuesday, January 10, 2023, Smart Growth America hosted the 11th annual Complete Streets Dinner to celebrate the work of the National Complete Streets Coalition, a program of Smart Growth America that works to create safer, more complete streets and communities. Speakers included SGA President and CEO Calvin Gladney, representatives from sponsor organizations, and Coalition Chairman Jeff Riegner. The keynote speech was given by the Mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey, Ravi Bhalla, and Hoboken Director of Transportation Ryan Sharp.
The 11th annual Complete Streets Dinner was filled with celebratory energy as the coalition reflected on successes within the Complete Streets movement in the past year, including reaching over 1,600 Complete Streets policies on the books across the country, releasing an updated version of Dangerous By Design, a report which highlights the ongoing epidemic of people being struck and killed on our streets. Additionally, the Complete Streets Leadership academies were launched in three states to support state and city governments in creating temporary public safety projects.
The Complete Streets Dinner is held to honor the Complete Streets Coalition, a non-partisan alliance of public interest organizations and transportation professionals who contributed greatly to these accomplishments and more. The Coalition works to create a healthier community, where it is safe and convenient to travel — whether you walk, roll, bike, or use public transit.
Alt text: Director of Transportation for America Beth Osborne speaks at a podium.
Closing out the evening was Director of Transportation for America Beth Osborne, who celebrated the energy that each person in the room brings to the Complete Streets movement. She remarked that whether someone has been in the work for decades or is just starting, everyone has a unique impact that will propel the movement forward.
It is critical that everyone has access to safe, robust travel options whether they happen to walk, roll, bike, or use public transit to get where they need to go. Smart Growth America is honored to have hosted excellent speakers and attendees who empowered one another to continue creating safe and thriving communities.
We’d like to thank staff, attendees, and our generous sponsors and partners Michael Baker International, NelsonNygaard, and AARP who made the 11th Annual Complete Streets Dinner an incredible success.
Check out this blog post to learn about individuals making great Complete Streets progress, and look out for the release of our latest Best Complete Streets Policies report in spring 2023! You can also connect by signing up for our mailing list and following the Coalition on Facebook and Twitter.