Vital and Vibrant Communities Are Community Designed and Safe

Vital and vibrant communities are places where functionality is not determined by the number of cars on a street but by the safety, accessibility and opportunities to move for all users. This path will look at the policies, programs and resources that exist to create built environments that reflect the priorities of all users and that take conscious steps to provide environments where all people have access to safe, adequate transportation, affordable housing, enjoyable play opportunities and the infrastructure to support them. We will examine disparities created by unfair resource allocation, existing mechanisms to address them, and how communities who have not enjoyed such benefits are overcoming challenges and creating vital and vibrant places. Participants of this path will leave the Summit with the resources and knowledge about community design and transportation policies and practices needed to make every community a community that is designed for the benefit all users.

These sessions will:

  • Demonstrate programs, policies and techniques available to promote safe, accessible and available active transportation and smart placemaking.
  • Share success stories of projects, programs and/or communities that have worked to assess and change the physical environment to better prioritize community members visions and aspirations for where and how they live.
  • Provide information on the benefits that come from making changes to the built environment to achieve walkability.

Feature sessions in this path include: