New report highlights the nation’s best Complete Streets policies

A new report from Smart Growth America evaluates and ranks the strongest Complete Streets policies adopted in 2023 and 2024, spotlighting the communities taking bold steps to make their streets safer and more accessible for everyone who uses them. These policies—ranging from large metros like San Antonio to small towns like Clyde, Ohio—offer a blueprint for how local governments can lead the way in building a better transportation system.

Strong Complete Streets policies are among the most effective and actionable ways to shift how transportation systems are planned, designed, and funded. They move us closer to a multimodal transportation network that prioritizes safety, access, and economic opportunity, especially for those historically left out of transportation decisions and investments.

By embedding safety and sustainability goals directly into local ordinances and implementation frameworks, these policies create real accountability for delivering on a transportation system that serves all users. They also align with our call to modernize federal transportation policy, which too often rewards highway expansion over comprehensive, people-first investments. Complete Streets help communities make smarter use of resources by focusing on access and connectivity, not just speed and capacity.

As we look toward federal reauthorization, this report reinforces why Complete Streets must be treated not as an add-on, but as core to any serious transportation reform efforts. These policies are already delivering results—and federal policy should prioritize funding and expanding initiatives like the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Grant Program that help local jurisdictions implement Complete Streets strategies. Check out the full report.