An urban planner talks Complete Streets, collaboration and the future

On this week’s Talking Michigan Transportation, a conversation with Suzanne Schulz, the former director of planning for the City of Grand Rapids, who helped with some groundbreaking initiatives related to Complete Streets, accommodating multimodal users and breaking down barriers to access. She was also instrumental in helping to implement a statewide Complete Streets policy. She’s now urban planning practice leader at Progressive AE in Grand Rapids. 

Schulz talks about implementation of road diets and other Complete Streets initiatives since legislation was adopted in 2010. 

As more cities around the world incorporate protected bike lanes into their Complete Streets planning, is it something we can expect in Michigan? Studies show they enhance safety. 

She also talks about the imperative for community leaders to collaborate with business owners, residents, state departments of transportation officials, and others on planning for future transportation needs. 

Also discussed: inclusion of more passive storm water treatments into street design. Things like bioswales and rain gardens can significantly improve the quality of water making its way into storm water systems. Along those lines, Schulz recalls her work with the City of Grand Rapids establishing a Vital Streets framework that incorporated Complete Streets and green infrastructure.