Baltimore-Washington DC metropolitan region.

Details

• Creators:
  Sen, Siddhartha ; Azonobi, Leonard M.
• Corporate Creators:
  National Transportation Center (U.S.) ; Morgan State University
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  • Accessibility
  • Advocacy groups
  • Consultants
  • Decision making
  • Environmental justice
  • Focus groups
  • Government agencies
  • Information dissemination
  • Interviewing
  • Literature reviews
  More +
• Publication/ Report Number:
  Report No. 0102-006
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States ; Washington Metropolitan Area ; Maryland ; Baltimore (Maryland)
• Edition:
  Final report
• Corporate Publisher:
  National Transportation Center (U.S.)
• Abstract:
  The purpose of the report is to answer two broad research questions: (1) how is environmental justice in transportation addressed and ; implemented to take into account low-income populations and minority communities and their needs, problems, and aspirations? And ; (2) how are environmental justice data and concerns incorporated into the transportation decision-making process? The research ; employed multiple methods. These included a literature review; qualitative interviews with transportation planners, practitioners and ; policymakers, and other stakeholders in transportation planning and policy in the Baltimore-Washington D.C. metropolitan area; and ; a focus group in Baltimore. Our primary analytical framework was drawn from critical ethnography and studies of practice and ; discourse in public policy. ; Three different views of environmental justice emerged from this study of the Baltimore-Washington D.C. metropolitan area. Most ; private consulting firms in the area are engaged in environmental justice, because it’s a source of job and contracts. Most public ; officials in the region are engaged in environmental justice and public participation because it’s a federal regulation and requirement. ; However, most citizen and advocacy groups in the region consider environmental justice and its implementation as part of the ; agency’s mission. The lack of uniform standards regarding environmental justice issues, coupled with scarcity of information, as well ; as the complexity of the issues, are all obstacles to implementing and enforcing environmental justice principles. Access to ; information is an important issue for community organizations, advocacy groups, low income and minority groups. Public agencies ; often hold meetings at places that are not easily accessible, or at times difficult for transit dependent, low-income, and minority ; populations to attend. ; We recommend that transportation agencies in the Baltimore-Washington D.C. metropolitan area take a proactive stance in involving ; low-income and minority communities in the transportation policy and planning process. This should involve establishing outreach ; programs through nonprofit organizations, minority institutions, and advocacy groups that already play significant roles in these ; communities. The transportation agencies should work with these organizations to set up public meetings and hearings that are ; accessible. They should consider holding meetings in the communities themselves, and at times and on days which will allow the ; maximum possible participation. One idea that may be effective is holding informal, small-group meetings in neighborhoods, initiated ; by community leaders. Another way to boost participation would be to provide child-care during the meeting. Utilizing people who ; understand the culture of the targeted communities to initiate contact is also crucial to ensure greater participation among minority ; groups. In addition to the process of soliciting community involvement, making information on transportation issues readily available ; is critical. Such methods as radio, schools, libraries and churches could prove to be effective means of communications. There is also ; the need to translate documents into languages other than English to reach out to the non-English speaking minorities. The findings ; also suggest the need for transportation agencies, particularly the MTA, to re-evaluate bus schedules and routes to meet the demand of ; low-income and minority populations that depend on the system.
  More +
• Format:
  PDF
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/31213/dot_31213_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 183.21 KB]
• Collection(s):
  US Transportation Collection
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:9e85eac5f631f18fd21eba124cc178f4df6e41d752380b8a31646769fae7120a