Streetsmart Planning LLC
At Streetsmart Planning, we know that transportation connects people to the places that are essential for their well being.
Yet, for many people, destinations are too far from home, transit is not reliable, walking and bicycling are impractical, or the streets are not safe. Rather than connecting people to opportunity, lack of adequate transportation is a barrier to reaching employment, schools, health care services, and social networks. Vehicular emissions expose communities to air pollution, increasing their risk of asthma and heart disease. Transportation is also the largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the US, driving climate changes that will disproportionately affect many communities of color.
We believe that transportation systems can create and support healthy, just, and climate-resilient communities. Streetsmart Planning offers planning services in transportation and city planning, strategic planning, performance management, and research, including research reports, research synthesis, and research translation.
Yet, for many people, destinations are too far from home, transit is not reliable, walking and bicycling are impractical, or the streets are not safe. Rather than connecting people to opportunity, lack of adequate transportation is a barrier to reaching employment, schools, health care services, and social networks. Vehicular emissions expose communities to air pollution, increasing their risk of asthma and heart disease. Transportation is also the largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the US, driving climate changes that will disproportionately affect many communities of color.
We believe that transportation systems can create and support healthy, just, and climate-resilient communities. Streetsmart Planning offers planning services in transportation and city planning, strategic planning, performance management, and research, including research reports, research synthesis, and research translation.
Why Do We Focus on Climate, Health, and Equity?
Climate Change
In the US, the transportation sector is the largest contributor of greenhouse gas emissions, a driver of climate change. In addition to the environmental consequences of climate change, climate change will negatively impact human health. For example, more prolonged and severe heat events will increase the number of heat-related deaths and illnesses. Worsened air quality, including that from increased incidence of forest fires, will lead to more cardiovascular and respiratory disease. Children, older adults, people with disabilities, and many communities of color will be among those most impacted by climate change, illustrating the interconnected nature of environmental stewardship, health, and equity.
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Photo: Unsplash/ David Lee
Public Health
The environment in which we live has a significant impact on health. How communities are designed and built can support physical activity or promote sedentary living. Transportation either facilitates access to health-promoting destinations, such as employment, health services, and social opportunities, or presents a barrier to reaching them. Those living near busy streets face an increased risk of asthma and heart disease from the exposure to vehicular air pollution. Thousands of people are killed or injured on our streets every year, with a disproportionate number of pedestrians and people of color in those numbers.
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Photo: Pexels/ Ahshea1 Media
Equity and Inclusion
Historically, the benefits and burdens of transportation infrastructure has not been equally distributed across places and populations, with consequences that reverberate today. For example, communities of color are more likely to have had interstate highways built through them, displacing residents, severing communities, and exposing them, year after year, to air pollution generated by traffic. There are 61 million people with disabilities in the United States, many of whom have challenges with reliable and affordable transportation. Because of the barriers they face, people with disabilities are more likely to be in poorer health and have lower incomes--these challenges are compounded for people with disabilities who are also people of color.
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Photo: pedbikeimages.org/ Dan Burden