A System that Serves Everyone: Attracting Nontraditional Participants into the Regional Transport Planning Process, A Report on the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board's Enhanced Public Outreach Project

Details

• Creators:
  Lebeaux, Pamela M.
• Corporate Creators:
  Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments ; National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board
• Contributors:
  Smith, Karen Haas
• Corporate Contributors:
  United States. Federal Highway Administration
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  Long Range Planning Low Income Groups Minorities Problem Solving Public Participation Regional Planning
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States
• Corporate Publisher:
  United States. Federal Highway Administration
• Abstract:
  In 1995, the National planning organization Capital Region Transportation Planning Board, the metropolitan for Metropolitan Washington, conducted a public outreach effort among low-income, minority and non-English-speaking residents. The Enhanced Public Outreach Project solicited information on transportation concerns in four target communities: a low-income Latin0 community in suburban Maryland; a predominantly low-income, African-American inner city neighborhood in the District of Columbia; students with limited English skills at an adult education program in a close-in Virginia suburb; and senior citizens attending county adult day programs in a remote suburb in Virginia. The project formed part of a larger transportation vision planning effort launched in 1995. Federal Highway Administration funding allowed for a greater emphasis on the inclusion of groups that have not traditionally participated in regional transportation planning. The project reached 350 persons at the four target sites through community brainstorming meetings, a traveling van exhibit, and questionnaires. Participants expressed similar concerns across all sites, with some variations in emphasis. Most would like to see improved bus service with extended hours. Other issues of concern include transit fares, pedestrian safety, and the need for better transit information. The report includes lessons learned related to application of the outreach techniques used, as well as issues that arose in planning the overall approach, selecting target communities for outreach to nontraditional participants, and incorporating their concerns into an ongoing planning process. A 45 minute videotape of edited footage of selected project activities was produced.
• Format:
  PDF
• Collection(s):
  Federal Highway Administration
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:65f29eedf7aaee8f53720cc08979b217023030d4139697fb255b0e3ffbec0486386589b8e9d21bd85aa95322ed96bee06e2ab9f3f4629830ad2dcf729104d252
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/54113/dot_54113_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 12.92 MB ]