Connected, Accessible, and On the Move: Honoring Top Communities in Mobility

Mobility is the lifeblood of a community. It shapes how residents get to work, school, and play; how businesses connect with customers; and how people experience the daily rhythm of their lives. Great mobility isn’t just about keeping cars moving. It’s about giving people choices - whether that means a smooth commute by bus, a safe bike lane for a ride to the park, sidewalks that make a neighborhood walkable, or carpools that bring neighbors together.

The Best in Governance Awards celebrate communities that are excelling in these vital areas of livability. Based on extensive, high-quality data from the National Community Survey (NCS) and national indicators from Government Performance Action and Learning (GPAL), the awards highlight the communities that are both listening to their residents and achieving measurable progress on the issues that matter most.

All of the winners are recognized as Top Performers. Some have earned this honor because of their exceptionally high scores in mobility, while others are recognized for their transformational improvement - making meaningful strides in building more connected, equitable, and multi-modal systems.

The Best in Governance Award for Mobility honors the places where transportation systems are more than asphalt and traffic signals, they are engines of access, equity, and connection. These winners demonstrate how investing in diverse travel options and maintaining essential infrastructure can make life easier, safer, and more vibrant for everyone.

Voice of the People (VOP) Measures

Residents in these top-performing communities gave high marks for:

• Overall quality of the transportation system
• Traffic flow and public parking
• Ease of travel by car, public transportation, bicycle, and walking
• Maintenance of sidewalks, streets, lighting, and signals
• Transit services such as bus routes
• Enforcement and safety elements like traffic control and signal timing
• Resident travel behavior - choosing to walk, bike, carpool, or use transit instead of driving alone

Together, these measures reflect how well mobility works in everyday life, from the morning commute to a weekend stroll.

Community Impact Indicators

The award also recognizes broader community outcomes tied to mobility, such as:

• Reduced transportation insecurity and better access for households without vehicles
• Shorter and more reliable commute times
• Strong walkability and multimodal scores
• More residents biking, walking, carpooling, or using public transit for work

These indicators show that winning communities go beyond cars - building systems that support all modes of travel and connect residents equitably to work, school, and community life.

🏆Top Performers for Mobility

Congratulations to all of this year’s Top Performers. We’re honored to showcase their leadership in setting the standard for how transportation systems can support choice, access, and inclusion.

Excellence - Voice of the People

• City of Eagan, Minnesota
• Village of Niles, Illinois
• City of Richfield, Minnesota
• Village of Skokie, Illinois
• Town of Telluride, Colorado

Transformation - Voice of the People

• City of Ashland, Oregon
• Grand Traverse County, Michigan
• City of Mountlake Terrace, Washington
• Stafford County, Virginia
• City of West St. Paul, Minnesota

Excellence - Community Impact

• Town of Blacksburg, Virginia
• City of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California
• City of Lexington, Virginia
• City of North Chicago, Illinois
• Borough of State College, Pennsylvania

What’s Next

🎉 The National Champions will be announced live at the ICMA Annual Conference in October in Tampa, Florida. 

👏 Congratulations to all of this year’s Top Performers! We’re honored to showcase your leadership in building stronger, smarter, and more connected communities. Visit our awards page for more information about Best in Governance Awards.