While traffic fatalities continue to rise nationwide, Fremont has drastically reduced its crash rates in the five years since it launched its Vision Zero project.

Five years after committing to a bold Vision Zero plan, Fremont, California is seeing impressive results. As Brian Hendershot reports, the city "has an average fatality rate of 2.1 traffic deaths per 100,000 residents annually — significantly fewer than California and the U.S., where rates have risen to 9.1 and 11, respectively."
The Fremont Public Works Department — which includes Transportation Engineering, Pavement Maintenance Program, and Street Maintenance — made extensive use of inexpensive, temporary, 'quick-build' projects to improve safety for drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, and transit users alike in a relatively short period of time. The department also restriped 47% of the city’s arterial roadways, built protected intersections, upgraded dozens of crosswalks with short-term, reduced speeds in more than 50 street segments, converted its streetlights to use 'white' LED lights, and decreased the number of lanes in several roadways.
"Initially, Fremont’s Vision Zero was achieved with zero new funding commitments or dedicated staff positions. Instead, existing resources were redirected from projects that did not serve the city’s new goals." Later, "[t]he city was able to build on the success of those early years and attract grant funding for higher-cost projects, such as raised cycle tracks and protected intersections.
For its efforts, Fremont received the 2021 'Transportation Safety Achievement' award from the National Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) organization and 'Project of the Year' award from the Western ITE District.
Hendershot attributes Fremont's success to its "strong internal, cross-agency partnerships" and its reliance on "high-quality quantitative and qualitative data" in decision-making. For example, thanks to a robust crash mapping program, the city's transportation engineers "typically receive crash reports within 30 days of a crash — far quicker than in many other cities, where the wait may be a year or more after a crash occurs." This data-driven, proactive approach to Vision Zero allowed the city "to dramatically increase traffic safety at a time when traffic fatalities were increasing regionally and nationally."
For another example of Vision Zero progress (amid numerous examples of failures) see also Hoboken, New Jersey. For a reminder what measures can make Vision Zero a reality, see a Planetizen article written by Angie Schmitt earlier this year.
FULL STORY: Traffic fatalities across the US rose in 2020 but not in Fremont. What did the city do differently?

Manufactured Crisis: Losing the Nation’s Largest Source of Unsubsidized Affordable Housing
Manufactured housing communities have long been an affordable housing option for millions of people living in the U.S., but that affordability is disappearing rapidly. How did we get here?

Americans May Be Stuck — But Why?
Americans are moving a lot less than they once did, and that is a problem. While Yoni Applebaum, in his highly-publicized article Stuck, gets the reasons badly wrong, it's still important to ask: why are we moving so much less than before?

Using Old Oil and Gas Wells for Green Energy Storage
Penn State researchers have found that repurposing abandoned oil and gas wells for geothermal-assisted compressed-air energy storage can boost efficiency, reduce environmental risks, and support clean energy and job transitions.

Greening Oakland’s School Grounds
With help from community partners like the Trust for Public Land, Oakland Unified School District is turning barren, asphalt-covered schoolyards into vibrant, green spaces that support outdoor learning, play, and student well-being.

California Governor Suspends CEQA Reviews for Utilities in Fire Areas
Utility restoration efforts in areas affected by the January wildfires in Los Angeles will be exempt from environmental regulations to speed up the rebuilding of essential infrastructure.

Native American Communities Prepare to Lead on Environmental Stewardship
In the face of federal threats to public lands and conservation efforts, indigenous groups continue to model nature-centered conservation efforts.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
City of Moreno Valley
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
City of Cambridge, Maryland