Department or Program

Environmental Studies

Abstract

In 2017, the Cities of Lewiston and Auburn adopted a joint Complete Streets Ordinance. The ordinance lays out how planners and engineers should consider the needs of all relevant road users when planning, and adopts the Complete Streets Committee to serve as a citizen oversight and advisory board regarding the implementation of this ordinance. My thesis focuses on understanding what the process for implementation of Complete Streets is in Lewiston/Auburn, and what the core actors responsible for this process see as barriers to implementation. I conducted nine interviews of city engineers, planners, and Complete Streets Committee members from Lewiston and Auburn, and attended three Complete Streets Committee Meetings. For the most part, all actors identified and agreed upon similar barriers to implementing the policy. There are however noticeable differences in the presence or absence of some barriers depending on the subject’s role in the process. Over the course of my research period, I was able to watch the design of particular intersection in Auburn go through the process of being debated at two Complete Streets Committee meetings. This case study allowed me to observe the process as described by the interviewed actors, as well as understand critical information about inter-actor relationships and the general knowledge of Auburn City Council regarding Complete Streets. The Complete Streets Committee serves as a critical vehicle in this process through which values are shared and technical concepts are explained. While the CS committee represents substantial resistance/progress, there are still areas to be done to work towards unraveling a car-centric understanding of transportation. I propose specific areas for the Committee and cities to work to continue the structural, procedural, and cultural adoption of Complete Streets principles.

Level of Access

Restricted: Campus/Bates Community Only Access

First Advisor

Francis Eanes

Date of Graduation

5-2019

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Number of Pages

63

Community Engagement

1

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