Madison Adopts ‘Complete Green Streets’ Plan

The new document consolidates the city’s Complete Streets projects with its sustainability plan, providing a flexible framework for comprehensive actions that focus on safety, sustainability, and equity.

1 minute read

January 10, 2023, 6:00 AM PST

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


Madison, Wisconsin is adopting a “Complete Green Streets” policy aimed at consolidating the city’s efforts to build safe, accessible, and pleasant streets for all with its sustainability goals. Writing in Smart Cities Dive, Maria Rachal explains that the policy is designed to be a “flexible tool that can evolve” with the city’s needs.

According to the new city-issued guide, “With significant growth and development, rising concerns about safety, and increased awareness of disparities, Madison needed a more detailed approach to designing streets that reflects our community’s values and priorities.” 

The new policy combines Complete Streets and focuses on four values: prioritizing the safety and comfort of people; supporting community engagement and emphasizing short neighborhood trips; fostering more sustainable transportation and land use; and centering equity, which the city defines as “engaging inclusively, providing access to opportunities, prioritizing and supporting the needs of historically underserved people.”

Friday, January 6, 2023 in Smart Cities Dive

Portland Bus Lane

‘Forward Together’ Bus System Redesign Rolling Out in Portland

Portland is redesigning its bus system to respond to the changing patterns of the post-pandemic world—with twin goals of increasing ridership and improving equity.

August 30, 2023 - Mass Transit

An aerial view of Milwaukee’s Third Ward.

Plan to Potentially Remove Downtown Milwaukee’s Interstate Faces Public Scrutiny

The public is weighing in on a suite of options for repairing, replacing, or removing Interstate 794 in downtown Milwaukee.

August 27, 2023 - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Conceptual rendering of Rikers Island redevelopment as renewable energy facility

Can New York City Go Green Without Renewable Rikers?

New York City’s bold proposal to close the jail on Rikers Island and replace it with green infrastructure is in jeopardy. Will this compromise the city’s ambitious climate goals?

August 24, 2023 - Mark McNulty

A rendering of the Utah City master planned, mixed-use development.

700-Acre Master-Planned Community Planned in Utah

A massive development plan is taking shape for lakefront property in Vineyard, Utah—on the site of a former U.S. Steel Geneva Works facility.

August 31 - Daily Herald

A line of cars wait at the drive-thru window of a starbucks.

More Cities Ponder the End of Drive-Thrus

Drive-thru fast food restaurants might be a staple of American life, but several U.S. cities are actively considering prohibiting the development of new drive-thrus for the benefit of traffic safety, air quality, and congestion.

August 31 - The Denver Post

Air pollution is visible in the air around high-rise buildings in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Air Pollution World’s Worst Public Health Threat, Report Says

Air pollution is more likely to take years life off the lifespan of the average human than any other external factor, according to a recent report out of the University of Chicago.

August 31 - Phys.org