Giving Compass' Take:

•  Jason Plautz, writing for Smart Cities Dive, discusses why cities should revisit the basic design of their infrastructure as they plan to reduce traffic deaths and collisions.  

• How are donors able to contribute financially to cities that are leveraging technology and design practices to become safer?

• Here are five strategic shifts that can advance cities. 

Cities with rail transit, small blocks and dense, low-speed road networks have fewer transportation-related injuries, according to a new study published in The Lancet Planetary Health. The most injury-prone cities had sparse road networks and less rail infrastructure, the study found.

Researchers from Australia, Spain and the United States analyzed maps of about 1,700 cities around the world and grouped them into nine unique types based on the amount of rail network, road design and the amount of open green and park space.

Cities are trying to aggressively crack down on traffic deaths, especially through Vision Zero plans that seek to eliminate traffic deaths and injuries. While many of those efforts have involved steps like redesigning crosswalks and reducing speed limits, study author Jason Thompson said the latest findings are a reminder that cities should also look at their basic design.

As pedestrian deaths have climbed in recent years, the conversation over solutions has increasingly turned to infrastructure. A 2019 report from Smart Growth America concluded that poorly designed roads and intersections leave bicyclists and pedestrians at risk, especially in southern cities that are largely designed for cars.

Taking cues from the types of cities that rated well in the Lancet study, policymakers have tried to encourage denser growth and more transit, even though that can be a challenge in cities already built for automobiles. San Francisco, however, has taken the major step of banning cars on a stretch of Market Street, starting this week.

Read the full article about Vision Zero goals by Jason Plautz at Smart Cities Dive.