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Comprehensive Land Use and Regional Growth Projects

Complete Streets

Complete streets are streets designed and operated to enable safe access for all users. Complete streets accommodate people of all ages and abilities, traveling by all modes, including walking, biking, using public transit, and driving cars or commercial vehicles.

There is no one correct way to develop a complete street. Each street should respond to the land use context around it. At the same time, the form of development along the street can contribute to, or detract from creating a complete street.

For more information on how urban form and urban design related to complete streets, see the SANDAG publication Designing for Smart Growth.

Regional Complete Streets Policy

A complete street policy is a commitment to a process that ensures the needs of people using all modes of travel are considered and appropriately accommodated on every street or every network of streets.

The SANDAG Board of Directors adopted a Regional Complete Streets Policy in December 2014. The policy defines complete streets as it will be used to guide SANDAG in its role as an implementer of regional transportation projects. The policy includes implementation action items to provide the tools, training and procedures necessary to ensure all projects implemented by SANDAG consider local complete streets initiatives and accommodate the needs of all travel modes. 

For more information on complete streets policy development see the SANDAG publication Complete Street Discussion Paper.

Complete Streets Tools and Checklists

The best way to develop complete streets is to take it into consideration from the start of a project, whether it is a new capital improvement, an upgrade to an existing facility, a major maintenance project, or a routine maintenance procedure. Each may present opportunities to improve access and mobility for one or more mode of travel. To facilitate this process, SANDAG has developed a Regional Complete Streets Project Certification Form.

The certification form ensures all projects implemented by SANDAG consider local mobility plans and accommodate the needs of all travel modes and the movement of goods to the extent appropriate. In addition, the Certification form can be used as a template for local jurisdictions that can be adapted to meet specific local agency goals as they plan for and build new transportation projects.

SANDAG also has developed a number of other additional tools to help planners, designers, and engineers develop complete streets.

Project Manager

Jennifer Williamson, Regional Planning Program Manager
Phone: (619) 699-1959, Email: jennifer.williamson@sandag.org

For media inquiries, please contact the SANDAG Public Information Office at (619) 699-1950 or pio@sandag.org.