Complete Streets is a transportation and design concept in which streets are designed to be safe and accessible to all users and modes of transportation. From a public health perspective, Complete Streets can play an important role in promoting healthy behaviors by increasing trips made by foot, bicycle, and transit. This brief summarizes the results of a study which examined the association between Complete Streets policies at the county and municipal levels in the United States and taking public transit to work. This analysis found that having a Complete Streets policy was associated with significantly higher rates of taking public transit to work after adjusting for community characteristics. At the municipal level, rates of taking public transit to work were 11.3 percent in municipalities with Complete Streets policies as compared to only 5.2 percent in municipalities without Complete Streets policies. At the county level, rates of taking public transit to work were 6.9 percent in counties with Complete Streets policies as compared to only 2.5 percent in counties without Complete Streets policies.
Published: November 2016
ID #: CAS030
Publisher: University of Illinois at Chicago
Authors: Thrun E, Leider J, Chriqui JF
Keywords: Community setting, Legal, Physical activity, Urban
Focus Area: Healthy Communities
Race/Ethnicity: Multi-racial/ethnic
State: National
Resource Type: Report
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