Today, the Mayors Innovation Project is pleased to announce a new cohort of local leaders for the second annual Mayors Institute on Pedestrian Safety. The program, in partnership with AARP Livable Communities and Smart Growth America, selected 10 mayors from a national competitive application pool of candidates to join this year’s cohort.
“We are so excited to work with the group of mayors participating in the Mayors Institute on Pedestrian Safety this year,” said Beth Osborne, Director of Transportation for America, Smart Growth America’s transportation arm. “Mayors are essential to making our communities more livable and walkable. We hope to provide them the tools and best practices they need to improve safety for pedestrians and provide people more opportunities for active living, whether they are children walking to school or adults walking to work or the grocery store.”
The Mayors Institute on Pedestrian Safety (MIPS) aims to help mayors develop their knowledge and skillset to champion safer communities for people of all ages. Participating mayors receive training and resources from top experts in the field, enabling them to make immediate safety improvements on their most dangerous streets. MIPS Mayors also receive crucial support to build implementation strategies that drive longer-term, systemic changes.
This year’s cohort includes:
- Mayor Scott Conger • Jackson, TN
- Mayor Tim Kelly • Chattanooga, TN
- Mayor Quinton Lucas • Kansas City, MO
- Mayor Lauren McLean • Boise, ID
- Mayor Dominick Pangallo • Salem, MA
- Mayor Sean Shultz • Carlisle, PA
- Mayor Ryan Sorenson • Sheboygan, WI
- Mayor Matt Tuerk • Allentown, PA
- Mayor John Vieau • Chicopee, MA
- Mayor Yasmine-Imani McMorrin • Culver City, CA
Over the next six months, MIPS members will meet virtually and in-person with national experts and each other to share experiences and identify solutions to their pedestrian safety challenges.
Pedestrian fatalities have been on the rise for nearly a decade in the United States. According to a recent study by the Governors Highway Safety Association, on average 20 people are killed by a moving vehicle every day. The elderly and minority groups, particularly Native/Indigenous and Black populations, are disproportionately impacted by pedestrian injuries and fatalities.
“We are proud of what we accomplished through the 2023 inaugural cohort, and the continuation of this work in 2024 marks a big step forward in accelerating city leadership on traffic safety across the country,” said Katya Spear, Managing Director of the Mayors Innovation Project. “These ten mayors have demonstrated their commitment to advancing pedestrian safety and we are excited to work with them to support and expand their leadership on this critical issue.”
We are grateful to the JPB Foundation and AARP Livable Communities for their generous support that enables the continuation and expansion of this work. Learn more about this work and our previous cohort at: https://mayorsinnovation.org/mips.
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ABOUT THE MAYORS INNOVATION PROJECT
The Mayors Innovation Project is a national learning network for mayors committed to shared prosperity, environmental sustainability, and efficient democratic government. We offer high-quality content that emphasizes innovative, actionable solutions and prioritizes peer exchange.
ABOUT SMART GROWTH AMERICA
Smart Growth America helps create healthy, prosperous, and resilient places to live for all people through research, advocacy, and direct community support. Our work spans housing and land use, transportation, and economic development to find solutions to communities’ most pressing needs. We work with elected officials at all levels, real estate developers, chambers of commerce, transportation, urban planning professionals, and residents to improve everyday life for people across the country through better development.