For immediate release
New book profiles nine Complete Street Transformations in the Greater Golden Horseshoe
TORONTO, April 14, 2016. The Centre for Active Transportation (TCAT) is pleased to release Complete Street Transformations in the Greater Golden Horseshoe Region, a new book profiling nine recent street projects in the region that were redesigned to benefit people on foot, on bike, or on transit.
Streets in Brantford, Guelph, Hamilton, Kitchener, Markham, Peterborough, Richmond Hill, Toronto, and Waterloo are featured in the book, and demonstrate the many forms that Complete Streets can take. Street redesigns range from the simple addition of painted bike lanes, to multi-million dollar transit projects. Most include expanded sidewalks, streetscaping, or new safety or accessibility features to encourage pedestrian activity.
No two street designs documented in the book are the same and the context for each is deliberately quite varied. In each case, a variety of photographs, illustrations and infographics tell a story of how each street was redesigned, and the results of these changes.
How well are these Complete Streets succeeding in key goals such as getting people out of their cars, increasing safety, providing better service, and improving the surrounding community? Data and evidence from before and after the changes on these streets were made has been collected in this book to help answer these questions. The book’s authors found that in order to truly understand the magnitude of the benefits of these roadway improvements, more needs to be done across the region to more systematically evaluate these projects using comparable measures. Nonetheless, together the streets profiled in the book paint a compelling picture of how Complete Streets can change our cities and towns for the better.
“As we look at the projects featured in this book side-by-side, an unmistakable pattern emerges”, explains TCAT Director Nancy Smith Lea and a lead author of the book. “Overall, Complete Streets result in improved safety, increased walking and cycling, and many other benefits.”
The book is a joint project between TCAT, Dr. Raktim Mitra, Assistant Professor, School of Urban and Regional Planning at Ryerson University and Dr. Paul Hess, Associate Professor, Department of Geography and Planning at the University of Toronto, with funding from the Government of Ontario through the Places to Grow Implementation Fund.
Book Launch Event
A launch event for the book is open to the general public. It will take place on Thursday May 5, 2016 from 6-7:30 p.m. at Ryerson University, 105 Bond Street, Room 312, Toronto. Free tickets + advance purchase of book available on Eventbrite. Print copies of the book are $10 at launch event or $20 online.
About The Centre for Active Transportation (TCAT)
TCAT, a project of the registered charity Clean Air Partnership, advances knowledge and evidence to build support for safe and inclusive streets for walking and cycling. We believe that active transportation plays a critical role in creating environmentally and economically sustainable cities. Find out more at tcat.ca
A PDF version of the press release is available here.