Completing City Streets

As a city in Tennessee continues to expand and the population continues to grow, citizens are concerned with safety and accessibility for pedestrians and cyclists. In this study, citizen comments and concerns for the city planning department were collected. A case study design was used for this study because it allowed for a focus on one setting and gathering data from a specific set of key stakeholders in the community. Data represented the thoughts and experiences of community pedestrians and were collected through surveys and 1-on-1, semistructured interviews with select participants that reflect the citizens of this community. The survey asked citizens their thoughts on sidewalk coverage, pedestrian accessibility, safety concerns, and how concerned they felt the city administration was about these topics. The data indicated that the citizens believe the city lacked adequate sidewalk coverage, but they also understood the administration was doing the best it can with the resources it has. The community was very concerned with the issue of urban sprawl, and they were divided on the economic impact pedestrian-centric infrastructure could have on the city. The findings of this case study have the potential to advance communication on pedestrian safety between city administrators and citizens. The results of this study could further advance the city’s pedestrian safety projects throughout the city by shedding light on multiple factors, such as urban sprawl, economic benefits, and competing priorities.