Streets are a vital part of livable, sustainable, and economically stable communities. Everyone, regardless of age, ability, income, race, or ethnicity, must to have safe, comfortable, and convenient access to community destinations and public places–whether walking, driving, bicycling, or taking public transportation.

A Complete Streets means that when streets are in the planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance, then people and place are considered as importantly as vehicles in the city’s transportation networks. This helps to ensure streets are safe for people of all ages and abilities, balance the needs of different travelers, and support local land uses, economies, cultures, and natural environments with concerns for all people.

“The National Complete Streets Coalition, which launched this movement in 2004, promotes the development and implementation of Complete Streets policies and professional practices. To date, over 730 agencies at the local, regional, and state levels have adopted Complete Streets policies, totaling over 950 policies nationwide.” - https://smartgrowthamerica.org/program/national-complete-streets-coalition/

The City of Kalamazoo adopted Resolution No. 16-35 Supporting the creation of a Complete Streets Policy. In this resolution it was stated that the Kalamazoo City Commission understands the importance of creating a more livable and lively city, and a healthy, economically robust community with a land use and transportation· plan for system wide choices that enable safe, convenient access to multimodal transportation for all users in a balanced human scale environment, where a Complete Streets program is employed.

The resolution also included a preliminary action plan stating the following direction to city staff:

• A Street design guidebook shall be created that designs and constructs streets that enable safe travel by people of all ages and abilities.
• National Complete Streets and Smart Growth America best practices shall be prioritized during the planning, funding, designing, construction, reconstruction, maintaining, and operating of all streets.
• Local and Michigan Department of Transportation State trunk lines in the City of Kalamazoo municipal boundaries will be subject to city and state Complete Streets policies to honor local context and design intensions.
• The Department of Public Services and Community Planning & Development will make Complete Streets practices a routine part of everyday planning and operations; working in coordination with other departments, agencies, and jurisdictions to achieve Complete Streets.

This resolution acknowledges the importance of aligning the Complete Streets policy and Action Plan with Imagine Kalamazoo 2025 transportation and mobility efforts to assure the proper implementation of all street plans.

IK 2025 will be working with the community for input as the policy draft moves forward. Following the approval of the Imagine Kalamazoo 2025 Plans, the policy will be brought to the City Commission no later than April of 2017.