MnDOT’s SPACE Tool: Using Equity Data to Inform Active 

Transportation Safety 

Minnesota DOT (MnDOT) strives to serve all Minnesota residents by creating a multimodal transportation 

system that maximizes the health of people, the environment, and the economy. Between 2016 and 2020, 228 

pedestrians and 42 bicyclists were killed in motor vehicle crashes in Minnesota.

1 MnDOT partnered with the 

Office of Traffic Safety within the Minnesota Department of Public Safety and the Minnesota Department of 

Health, along with other Federal, State, and local partners, to implement the Toward Zero Deaths program. 

Minnesota’s Toward Zero Deaths mission is to “create a culture for which traffic fatalities and serious injuries are 

no longer acceptable.”2

 

As part of the implementation of the Toward Zero Deaths program, MnDOT focuses on three strategies: 

improving active transportation,

3 improving safety, and improving transportation equity across Minnesota’s 

transportation system. MnDOT developed the SPACE tool―Suitability for the Pedestrian and Cycling 

Environment―a GIS-based spatial analysis tool using publicly available data. An index of 19 social and 

demographic variables identifies where latent demand and crash risk exist on Minnesota’s roadways, what 

areas warrant additional investigation, and helps with the selection and prioritization of projects and where to 

direct investments.

Using the SPACE Tool to Measure Latent Demand

The SPACE tool is an index of 19 social and demographic factors (listed in table 1) that are publicly available 

through the U.S. Census Bureau, the Twin Cities Metropolitan Council Planning Organization, and the 

Economic Research Service in the U.S. Department of Agriculture. These variables are used to calculate a 

SPACE score (out of a total of 100 points) for half-mile hexagons across the State; higher scores indicate latent 

demand and a potential need for bicycle and pedestrian facilities. 

Table 1. SPACE score's 19 social and demographic factors.

% population AGE 5-17 ≥ average “Area of concern” by MPCA ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE

% population AGE 65+ ≥ average ≥ 25% population within 1⁄2-mile of SUPERMARKET

% population FOREIGN BORN ≥ average ≥ 25% population within 1 mile of K-12 SCHOOL

% population NATIVE AMERICAN ≥ average ≥ 25% population within 500-feet of a BUS STOP

% population with DISABILITY ≥ average ≥ 25% population within an URBAN area

% workers COMMUTING 15 MIN or less ≥ average UNEMPLOYMENT rate ≥ average

% workers COMMUTING BY TRANSIT > 0% % population in POVERTY IN URBAN area ≥ 25%

% workers COMMUTING BY WALKING > 0% Contains a state BICYCLE TRAIL

% workers COMMUTING BY BICYCLE > 0% HIGH RISK trunk highway intersection for non-motorists

% workers with NO ACCESS TO A VEHICLE > 0%

Using the SPACE Tool to Identify Fatal and Serious Injury Crash Risk 

As shown in figure 3, the SPACE tool revealed that “71 percent of fatal and serious injury non-motorist 

[pedestrian and bicyclist] crashes occur within communities that have a SPACE score greater than 50, despite 

 

1 For fatal pedestrian crashes in 2016-2020, there were 57 in 2016, 38 in 2017, 42 in 2018, 46 in 2019, and 45 in 2020. For 

fatal bicycle crashes, there were 7 in 2016, 6 in 2017, 7 in 2018, 11 in 2019, and 11 in 2020. National Highway Traffic Safety 

Administration (NHTSA) Fatal and Injury Reporting System Tool (FIRST). https://cdan.dot.gov/query 2 Minnesota Toward Zero Deaths. https://www.minnesotatzd.org/ 3 “Transportation agencies and their partners can help people lead more active lifestyles by giving them options for getting 

to places they need to go without driving. They can also reduce the distance between destinations people travel to satisfy 

daily needs.” U.S. Department of Transportation. Active Transportation. 

https://www.transportation.gov/mission/health/active-transportation 
being the location of just 15 percent of the State’s road miles.”4 Based on this analysis, MnDOT determined that 

a geographic unit with a SPACE score greater than 50 indicates a greater risk of fatal and serious injury nonmotorized crashes. The score provides a metric that helps MnDOT prioritize the distribution of limited 

resources (e.g., time for site review, funding) to areas where safe Active Transportation infrastructure is most 

needed. 

Figure 3. SPACE score as an indication of risk factor. Source: mndot.gov/trafficeng/index.html

Using the SPACE Tool to Aid in Project Identification and Prioritization

MnDOT integrated the SPACE score into current project 

identification and prioritization processes. The SPACE score helps 

MnDOT proactively identify locations with a high risk of fatal and 

serious non-motorist crashes. MnDOT then conducts Active 

Transportation scoping walks in these areas and provides 

recommendations to improve Active Transportation facilities. 

Once a site is identified as a potential project location, the team 

invites local government officials and staff as well as local 

Minnesota Statewide Health Improvement Partners to join the 

scoping walk. This creates a collaborative environment to assess context-specific needs and builds buy-in 

between stakeholders. 

The scoping walks help MnDOT better understand what the local user experiences while traveling along the

project site. The scoping team assesses:

• Motorized conditions: Assess the speed limit and speed-related concerns against current contextual factors, 

traffic volumes, truck volumes, the road’s overall cross section, and crash rates. 

• Non-motorized conditions: Assess crash history, intersection risk assessment, crossing distances, visibility

for both motor and non-motorized travelers, and the perceived comfort of facilities. 

• Types of roadway users: Motorists, equipment (farm or other), pedestrians, bicyclists, ATVs, snowmobiles, 

etc.

• Project context: Destinations, origins, how welcoming is the space. 

• Origins and destinations: Where might people walking or biking go to and from frequently. 

• Crossing locations: Controlled, uncontrolled, mid-block. 

 

4 mndot.gov/trafficeng/index.html

Figure 4. Scoping walk. Photo 

source: MnDOT
This information helps the scoping team understand demand, risk, and needs related to both equity and safety. 

After compiling the observations from the scoping walk, MnDOT proposes a variety of countermeasures to 

include in upcoming construction projects, ranging from roadway reconfiguration to proven, cost-effective 

safety measures. These include Minnesota’s Best Practices for Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety5 (see below in 

figure 7), published in 2021, which highlights multiple countermeasures from FHWA’s Every Day Counts Safe 

Transportation for Every Pedestrian (STEP) resources and NHTSA’s Countermeasures That Work publication. 

The scoping team’s recommendations are shared with the local project teams for consideration. MnDOT then 

conducts listening sessions with local partners to inform localities about the projects MnDOT will support and 

to learn about potential challenges that may occur during the implementation of the project. 

 

5 http://www.dot.state.mn.us/stateaid/trafficsafety/reference/best-practices-ped-bike-safety.pdf 

Figure 6. Factors to consider when conducting a scoping walk. Left: Limited visibility. 

Right: Uncontrolled crossing location. Photo source: MnDOT

Poor pedestrian visibility at major intersection

Grass is noticeably worn where 

people want to walk

Figure 7. MnDOT’s pedestrian and bicyclists scoping recommendations. Photo source: all photos are 

from Minnesota's Best Practices for Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety, January 2021.
ST. CLOUD, MINNESOTA

Location: Central, MN. Roughly 1-hour northwest of Minneapolis, MN. 

Population: 69,000 people (as of the 2020 census)

SPACE Score: 53 in 2018

The SPACE tool outputs, shown in Figure 1, highlighted the need for further investigation in St. Cloud, 

Minnesota. The results prompted the team to review Google map images shown in Figure 2, below. 

From Google map, the MnDOT team identified multiple uncontrolled crossings, labeled with “A” on in 

Figure 2, around a signalized clover interchange. 

Figure 1. St. Cloud SPACE output. Source: MnDOT

Figure 2. St. Cloud uncontrolled crossing. Source: MnDOT

The MnDOT team conducted a scoping walk, revealing the walking public had to cross a state highway 

to access a grocery store, bank, churches, department stores, and transit stop at many uncontrolled 

crossing locations. Through targeted engagement, the MnDOT active transportation team was able to 

add active transportation routes to the interchange project. This includes adding a road with adequate 

walking/biking facilities to connect the East and West sides bridging the highway. Additionally, plans 

have been developed for future city projects to continue the connection on city streets. Finally, the 

team is working with the transit provider to relocate transit stops and implement additional 

improvements in order to provide reliable stops near homes and reduce rider needs to cross a highspeed highway. 
Collaboration 

The SPACE tool aligns with MnDOT’s Toward Zero Death goals, and MnDOT’s active transportation safety 

engineers use the tool’s outputs to support outreach both internally, with other divisions and offices, and

externally, with advocacy groups and the public. 

Collaboration was critical for the development of the tool. MnDOT’s active transportation safety engineers

worked with local partners, MnDOT’s Office of Transit and Active Transportation, MnDOT’s Policy Planning 

Office, and other Minnesota State agencies to select the most relevant indicators to include in the SPACE tool. 

This collaborative approach resulted in multiple adjustments to the tool, making it more predictive with each 

iteration. 

The active transportation team then worked to educate MnDOT staff and local stakeholders to ensure that

users are aware of and understand the predictive power of the SPACE tool. As noted in the section above, the

SPACE tool generates opportunities for continued collaboration between MnDOT staff and local partners

during scoping walks. 

BENA, MINNESOTA

Location: Northern, MN, within the Leech Lake Tribal Reservation

Population: 116 people (as of the 2010 census)

SPACE Score: 68 in 2018

Based on the high SPACE score, the MnDOT team conducted a scoping walk in Bena, MN. The walk 

revealed that individuals had to walk along a busy highway to reach employment and cross that same 

busy highway to access the General Store as shown in the image below. The scoping team also noticed 

multiple uncontrolled crossings. The team learned that Bena has low car ownership and is located 20 

(town) to 35 (regional center) miles from the nearest employment center. MnDOT prioritized safety 

improvements for Bena, including improved high visibility crossings and transportation alternatives 

applications for a trail. Improvements are set to begin in 2023.

Figure 5. Bena SPACE output. Source: MnDOT
Current and Future Outcomes

Project locations originally identified by their SPACE score are currently in- or will soon begin - construction. As 

a result, before and after data is not yet available for the project sites selected using the SPACE tool. 

MnDOT has continued to update the SPACE tool since its development to make it into the most predictive

version. For example, MnDOT updated their Supermarket and Bus Stop variables by increasing the distance 

individuals are required to travel to reach a supermarket or access bus stops. These updates resulted from 

MnDOT’s continued learning about the metrics and now provide a better representation of where and how far

people in food deserts and transit-reliant communities need to walk and bike the most. 

How to get started: “Just start, do something, and continuously 

iterate―there is a lot of public data available for agencies to use. 

Know that there will be hurdles.”

The MnDOT team continues to improve upon and identify how the SPACE tool can facilitate proactive safety 

measures using predictive, data-driven analysis. Using SPACE, MnDOT can schedule scoping walks and 

potentially proactively address dangerous locations before serious injuries or fatalities occur. As Sonja Piper

[Active Transportation Safety Engineer] noted,“You never get ahead if you follow historic crash data.” 

Summary 

To systemically identify locations for pedestrian safety improvements, MnDOT developed the SPACE tool, an 

index of 19 social and demographic variables that has proven to proactively identify latent demand and fatal 

and serious injury crash risk. This data-driven approach has allowed for MnDOT’s pedestrian safety specialists 

to expand existing and develop new partnerships as well as communicate with a broader audience, including 

public officials and community members. The tool is now being used to direct funding for infrastructure 

improvements to areas that will make the most difference in reaching the goal of zero deaths. 

For more information, contact: Sonja Piper, P.E., Active Transportation Safety Engineer

Minnesota Department of Transportation

sonja.piper@state.mn.us

Lessons Learned

• Let equity data proactively drive project identification to limit selection bias and maintain consistent 

review of all sites.

• Tell a story―transform the information from numbers to people. Some readers, including local 

officials, transportation professionals, or the greater community, may respond more to the statistics 

while others may respond more to the stories of the community. 

• Tailor messaging to your audience―show each group how their mission aligns with the goals of this 

tool, explain the business case through data to help leaders understand the benefits of the SPACE 

tool, and include necessary context.

• Use the SPACE tool outputs to inform other funding requirements such as HSIP or to advocate for 

grant funding in discretionary grant applications. 

• Use the Statewide Pedestrian Safety Action Plan, Safe Routes to School, and other State plans and 

programs as a starting point. It does not need to be complicated. It’s about leveraging the information 

that is available.

• Expand your network. Ask questions and don’t be afraid to make mistakes. You will forge new 

relationships with the right people and offices this way.