We are excited to sponsor the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) Designing Cities 2025 conference being held May 28-31 in Washington, DC. As longtime NACTO supporters and collaborators, we look forward to another galvanizing conference that inspires and empowers city leaders from all across the United States.
We’re especially excited to welcome NACTO members and participants to the District of Columbia — our own backyard and a place where we’ve partnered to transform city streets for the past two decades. Our shared 21st-century story with DC includes early (sometimes first-in-the-nation) innovations in multimodal corridors, active transportation planning, transit access, trails, and Safe Routes to School. A look back at this journey provides practical insights that any city can use to build safer, more accessible, and truly connected networks.
LET’S CONNECT IN DC
Toole Design staff members Dan Goodman, William Haynes, Cipriana Patterson, and Katy Sawyer will be on hand throughout the conference to learn about your projects and share success stories. The C Street Road Diet Walkshop, offered on Thursday and Friday, will be a great opportunity to connect with us and learn about our approach to planning, designing, and implementing projects on DC streets over the past 20 years.
We also invite you to join us on Thursday, May 29, at Dacha Beer Garden for an evening social jointly hosted by Kittelson and Toole Design. Let us know if you can make it!
Insights from Two Decades of Planning and Designing in DC
Plan, Design, Implement, Repeat
Toole Design worked with DDOT on a series of firsts for pedestrian and bicycle planning. From the DC Bicycle Master Plan in 2005 (its first since 1975) to DC’s first ever Pedestrian Master Plan in 2009, our early collaborations with DDOT helped to usher in a new era of inclusive planning for all road users.
Since the adoption of the bike plan, DC has built nearly 40 miles of on-road bike facilities. We contributed to that on-the-ground network by designing DC’s first cycle tracks. We led the redesign of C Street to create a more multimodal corridor, including not only bicycle facilities but a road diet, pedestrian safety enhancements, and expanded planting zones. We also designed cycle tracks along portions of 15th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue between the White House and the Capitol. All of these efforts included extensive engagement, to reflect community and stakeholder priorities for these high-profile corridors.
In a full-circle moment, we recently completed updates to DC’s next wave of plans, including the moveDC Multimodal Transportation Plan, the Downtown DC Pedestrian Safety and Experience Study, DDOT’s Bike Facility Guide, and their Strategic Bikeways Plan.
Connect Modes Across Trails and Transit
DC has built a robust trail network connecting key destinations, from parks and landmarks to neighborhoods and commercial centers. We’re proud to have played a significant role in two major DC trail systems. Through master planning, field studies, public outreach, and stakeholder coordination, Toole Design helped bring the eight-mile Metropolitan Branch Trail to life over multiple project phases. We provided planning and design expertise for all phases of the 26-mile Anacostia River Trail, taking the lead on the development of 18 interpretive stations covering natural features and cultural heritage topics. We also did design and final construction documents for the trail’s wayfinding system.
Trails, of course, are just one part of a successful multimodal transportation network. We have worked closely with Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority to improve connectivity for people walking and biking to 91 transit stations. In another first for DC, we supported the development of a systemwide GIS-based inventory of existing bike parking around transit stations, and we delivered a pilot design for College Park Metro Station.
By thinking through connections between networks, how users understand and access those networks, and all the details in between (grading, drainage, utilities, lighting, and more), we have been proud partners in DC’s ongoing multimodal journey.
Prioritize the Most Vulnerable: Children and Youth
DC is the place where federal policies and programs start — including the federal Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program. So it was a natural progression for Toole Design, after helping to establish the first national SRTS program and guidelines, to launch the District’s own SRTS Pilot Program. We worked alongside volunteer school SRTS teams, conducted fieldwork, and researched relevant local projects. These efforts led to the development and implementation of a SRTS Action Plan, draft engineering plans to address safety and access issues, and a resource guidebook to support future SRTS infrastructure planning.
Our contribution to the Safe Routes to School movement during this crucial early phase is one of our proudest achievements as a company. Through that work, DC has been the model for a national movement that continues to grow and evolve to meet the needs to today’s children and our modern transportation landscape.
PUTTING INSIGHTS INTO ACTION IN YOUR CITY
Every city or jurisdiction has its own history, quirks, and culture, and that’s certainly true of our nation’s capital. We know that the lessons we’ve learned through our shared evolution with DC can be applied anywhere:
- Plan, design, implement, repeat: Creating safe and accessible transportation systems is an iterative process. Changes are needed now… and there will always be more changes to come. (Learn more about our approach to active transportation planning.)
- Connect modes across trails and transit: Designing for all roadway users doesn’t just mean allocating space for different modes; it means designing for where those modes intersect, overlap, and connect. (Learn more about our trails and greenways practice and our transit practice.)
- Prioritize the most vulnerable: Launching Safe Routes to School was hugely important. Now the next step is focusing on children and youth safety in every transportation project. (Learn more about our Safe Routes to School practice.)
We’ve learned so much from working in DC and in cities across North America for more than 20 years. We can’t wait to see you at NACTO to connect, reflect, and hear about what’s next for your community.
