Comprehensive social equity study for the Baltimore Urban League.

Details

• Creators:
  Sen, Siddhartha ; Azonobi, Leonard M.
• Corporate Creators:
  National Transportation Center (U.S.) ; Morgan State University
• Corporate Contributors:
  Greater Baltimore Urban League
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  • Advocacy groups
  • Decision making
  • Environmental justice
  • Equity (Justice)
  • Focus groups
  • Information dissemination
  • Interviewing
  • Literature reviews
  • Low income groups
  • Meetings
  More +
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States
• Corporate Publisher:
  National Transportation Center (U.S.)
• Abstract:
  This report was commissioned by the Greater Baltimore Urban League (GBUL) to the ; Graduate Program in City and Regional Planning and the National Transportation Center ; at Morgan State University. The purpose of the report is to answer two broad research ; questions: (a) how does the public participation process in transportation reach, ; empower, and take into account low-income and minority communities and their needs, ; problems, and aspirations? And (b) how are equity and environmental justice data and ; concerns incorporated into the 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; a focus group; and a survey. 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. Most ; private consulting firms are engaged in environmental justice and citizen participation ; because it’s a source of job and contracts. Most public officials are engaged in ; environmental justice and public participation because it’s a federal regulation and ; requirement. However, most citizen and advocacy groups consider environmental justice ; and citizen participation 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 in 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 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. The frequency and quality of the services should ; be improved, especially in the poorer segments of the city, in order to make the transit ; system just and equitable.
  More +
• Format:
  PDF
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/31219/dot_31219_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 179.92 KB]
• Collection(s):
  University Transportation Centers ; US Transportation Collection
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:2621227885e6d270ed88e18a15ecb989f75579a3e335c89faf20b7c2acbea2bb