Practical Approaches for Involving Traditionally Underserved Populations in Transportation Decisionmaking (2012) / Chapter Skim
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Pages 8-32
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1-1 Purpose of Guidebook Presidential Executive Order 12898, "Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations," directs federal agencies to identify and address disproportionately high and adverse human health or environmental effects of their programs, policies, and activities on minority and low-income populations. Executive Order 13166, "Improving Access to Services for Persons with Limited English Proficiency," requires federal agencies to improve access to federally conducted and assisted programs and activities for persons who, as a result of national origin, are limited in their English proficiency.
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1-2 practical approaches for Involving traditionally Underserved populations in transportation Decisionmaking Who Are the Traditionally Underserved Populations? The FHWA's rules for the Metropolitan Transportation Planning Process (Title 23 CFR Part 450.316(a)
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Introduction 1-3 practitioners and agencies can look at the results of their efforts and ask themselves again whether they have done what they could to engage a sometimes distracted, but also sometimes distrustful public. Achieving meaningful involvement therefore may involve finding other creative ways -- not just through holding transportation meetings, but in other situations, other forums, other locations, other times, and with the right organizations, the right people or the right incentives -- to reach and connect with the affected public, including traditionally underserved populations.
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1-4 practical approaches for Involving traditionally Underserved populations in transportation Decisionmaking commitment, and direct beneficial impact for traditionally underserved populations. Thus, task objectives can broadly range from identifying the location or community characteristics of traditionally underserved populations to fostering meaningful participation, instituting reforms, or delivering programs and services to benefit these populations.
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Introduction 1-5 The Bibliography contains reference materials and other research that informed the development of the guidebook. Several strands of academic, professional, legal, and community- and issue advocacy–based research are organized alphabetically into the following sections: Community and Cultural Perspectives; Cultural Competency; Demographic and Cultural Trends and Patterns; Environmental Justice/Title VI, Community Impact Assessment, Health Impact Assessment, and Mitigation; Job Training, Mentoring, and Disadvantaged Business Procurement; Legislation, U.S.
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1-6 practical approaches for Involving traditionally Underserved populations in transportation Decisionmaking For those interested in the future of the central city from the elite professions -- engineering firms, urban planners, real estate developers, central city business organizations, big-city mayors -- the highway program in the 1950s dovetailed neatly with urban economic development policy. The post-WWII era of Interstate highway construction provided a federally-funded means for rebuilding or enhancing the central city's central business district and eliminating blight and deteriorating housing stock through slum clearance and urban renewal.
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Introduction 1-7 to sensitive environmental areas, and the use of riverfronts and waterfronts for automobiles rather than for people (Mohl, 2002, 76)
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1-8 practical approaches for Involving traditionally Underserved populations in transportation Decisionmaking Act of 1962 limited the authority of state highway departments by enabling other voices to be heard during the decision-making process on interstate routing. A new "3C Process" required that state highway departments develop "a cooperative, comprehensive, and continuing urban transportation planning process, including coordination with plans for other modes of transportation and for local land development, with greater participation in planning by local government." The comprehensive planning process endorsed in the legislation was new in transportation.
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Introduction 1-9 and to develop procedures to provide information to the public concerning federal plans and programs with environmental impact. Executive Order 11514 includes a provision for public hearings, requires that the public be apprised of alternative courses of action, and affords interested parties the opportunity to comment on proposed actions.
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1-10 practical approaches for Involving traditionally Underserved populations in transportation Decisionmaking U.S. Civil Rights Laws and Policy Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited discrimination in the conduct of all federal activities.
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Introduction 1-11 Pursuant to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and other related legal statutes and nondiscrimination authorities, it is the policy of the U.S.DOT that discrimination on the ground of race, color, national origin, disability, sex, and age shall not occur in connection with programs or activities receiving financial assistance. The Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987 subsequently clarified the intent of Title VI to include all programs and activities of federal-aid recipients, subrecipients, and contractors, whether those programs and activities are federally funded or not.
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1-12 practical approaches for Involving traditionally Underserved populations in transportation Decisionmaking In 2000, Executive Order 13166, "Improving Access to Services for Persons with Limited English Proficiency," required recipients of federal financial assistance to develop and implement guidance on how they will provide meaningful access to limited English proficiency (LEP) persons in order to comply with the regulations set forth in Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
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Introduction 1-13 to require federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities. Section 508 of that law established requirements for electronic and information technology developed, maintained, procured, or used by the federal government and required federal electronic and information technology to be accessible to people with disabilities, including employees and members of the general public.
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1-14 practical approaches for Involving traditionally Underserved populations in transportation Decisionmaking The methods and processes for assessing the social and economic impacts of transportation projects under NEPA, according to the CIA Quick Reference, are carried out through the CIA process. The CIA Quick Reference emphasizes the importance of integrating public involvement as part of the planning and project development process.
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Introduction 1-15 improvement project will exist, dealing with "context" as both a constraint and an opportunity. Through better understanding of context, project sponsors are more likely to advance projects in harmony with the community and preserve resources that otherwise might be lost or harmed.
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1-16 practical approaches for Involving traditionally Underserved populations in transportation Decisionmaking importance of public involvement in legitimate decision-making processes. They do not, however, provide guarantees that meaningful involvement processes will be fostered or implemented by agencies and practitioners.
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Introduction 1-17 public involvement. Several interviewees sought to make a distinction between "public involvement" and "meaningful involvement" or "meaningful participation," cautioning that the type of activities that they suspected were typical of the "state of the practice" in transportation did not achieve the standard implied by meaningful involvement.
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1-18 practical approaches for Involving traditionally Underserved populations in transportation Decisionmaking and concerns of potentially affected people and entities and cut across national, cultural, and religious differences. Barriers to Achieving Meaningful Involvement At the institutional level, transportation organizations, particularly state departments of transportation that have been historically focused on highway development, can present formidable barriers to the achievement of meaningful involvement.
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Introduction 1-19 and the public. Cultural differences and an imbalance in political power can affect the nature of the exchange between the agency and the lay public.
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1-20 practical approaches for Involving traditionally Underserved populations in transportation Decisionmaking Six Fundamental Patterns of Cultural Differences Six fundamental patterns of cultural differences can impede effective cross-cultural communications according to DuPraw and Axner's "Working on Common Cross-Cultural Communication Challenges," excerpted and paraphrased below. Recognizing these differences is an important step toward respecting different cultures and honing the skills and temperament for handling potential conflicts effectively.
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Introduction 1-21 whom neither the agency nor the practitioner may have real familiarity. Ideally, the effective practitioner will consider social and cultural gaps and how those may be overcome to foster meaningful participation to inform transportation decisionmaking.
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1-22 practical approaches for Involving traditionally Underserved populations in transportation Decisionmaking reside within it (Okun et al., 1999)
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Introduction 1-23 the subject of periodic self-assessment with the intention of fostering improvement where performance fails to align with the promises extended by law. Concluding Observations: State of the Practice Review/Need for Guidebook Some concluding observations about the state of the practice that have not yet been highlighted were synthesized by the study team based upon professional experience, literature review, and interviews with transportation and public involvement practitioners, academics, Bridging the Gap -- Finding Effective Approaches for Cross-Cultural Communications Finding an effective approach and outlook for improving cross-cultural communications is essential for the practitioner.
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1-24 practical approaches for Involving traditionally Underserved populations in transportation Decisionmaking and individuals from advocacy organizations. They are mentioned here to further explain the rationale for this guidebook and the scope of topics covered.
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Introduction 1-25 •• The range of practical approaches for involving the traditionally underserved populations in transportation decisionmaking is extensive, extending into areas of leadership and management on how to better adapt the dominant culture and practices of an organization to the implications of changing demographics. The literature on Title VI, "LEP," and "cultural competency" all suggest that a governing organization's internal systems, values, and typical practices should be the subject of periodic self-assessments.
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