Public Participation Plan: A Strategy for Citizen Involvement

DVRPC has a long history of public involvement in its plans and programs, beginning in the 1970s when federal mandates outlined the basics of citizen involvement. In 2001, the DVRPC Board adopted a Public Participation Plan, which was designed for DVRPC's Board, staff and the general public as an outline of the Commission's overall strategy for public participation; it also included the policies that were adopted as inherent to the operation of this agency into the twenty-first century. Updated in 2004, the Public Participation Plan now includes a public disclosure policy and an Environmental Justice Protocol. It is now time to examine and reissue the Public Participation Plan, to ensure its compliance with current federal transportation legislation, specifically the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). This also provides an excellent opportunity for the Commission to reaffirm its commitment to a transparent, open and inclusive planning process

Environmental Justice at DVRPC: Fiscal Year 2009

In 2001, DVRPC published the "... and Justice for All" report to identify impacts of disparate funding and services on defined low-income and minority groups. A methodology was created, refined in subsequent years, to identify populations that may be adversely affected by transportation planning decisions. This report is an annual update of that initial report and catalogues DVRPC's fiscal year 2009 programs and plans that contain Environmental Justice (EJ) elements. Descriptions for each project or program that utilize DVRPC's EJ methodology are discussed, including DVRPC's Long-Range Plan, the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), Coordinated Human Services Transportation Plan (CHSTP) and corridor studies

DVRPC Planner's Methodology

DVRPC has developed a Planner's Methodology, which is designed to provide guidance to staff in meeting Title VI and Environmental Justice (EJ) mandates and structuring a public participation plan at the project or study level. How meaningful public participation is gathered and implemented into a planning process may differ widely, depending on the type and scope of the project. The Planner's Methodology sets a framework for developing individual public participation plans for specific projects, offers a "tool kit" of public participation strategies, and offers instruction on how to utilize DVRPC's Indicators of Potential Disadvantage (IPD) methodology, as well as an overview of Title VI and EJ mandates. Overall, the Planner's Methodology builds upon DVRPC's philosophy and intent to place public participation, Title VI, and EJ at the forefront of the Commission's priorities

Environmental Justice at DVRPC: Fiscal Year 2010

In 2001, DVRPC published the "... and Justice for All" report to identify impacts of disparate funding and services on defined low-income and minority groups. A methodology was created, refined in subsequent years, to identify populations that may be adversely affected by transportation planning decisions. This report is an annual update of that initial report and catalogues DVRPC's fiscal year 2010 programs and plans that contain Environmental Justice (EJ) elements. Descriptions for each project or program that utilize DVRPC's EJ methodology are discussed, including DVRPC's Long-Range Plan, the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), Coordinated Human Services Transportation Plan (CHSTP), and corridor studies

Environmental Justice at DVRPC: Fiscal Policy 2008

In 2001, DVRPC published the . . and Justice for All report to identify impacts of disparate funding and services on defined low-income and minority groups. A methodology was created, refined in subsequent years, to identify populations that may be adversely affected by transportation planning decisions. This report is an annual update of that initial report and catalogues DVRPC's fiscal year 2008 programs and plans that contain Environmental Justice (EJ) elements. Descriptions for each project or program that utilize DVRPC's EJ methodology are discussed, including a TIP analysis and corridor studies. Additional Title VI and Public Outreach efforts are incorporated into this report, as are forthcoming procedures for EJ and Title VI

Dots & Dashes: Transit Planning Outreach and Education in a Board Game Format

Dots & Dashes is a program that condenses the long-range public transit planning process, with its financial constraints, trade-offs, and land use considerations, into an outreach activity (a board game) appropriate for a range of stakeholder audiences from lay citizens to transportation professionals. By playing Dots & Dashes, stakeholders express their preferences for public transit investments and are educated about the planning process through group negotiation. Dots & Dashes was designed as a self-contained and branded package that would be replicable by planners in other regions. In the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) region, the program’s aggregated results inform DVRPC’s long-range plan as well as a new long-range vision for transit. Dots & Dashes was designed to be transferable for application in other cities and regions. In the simplest terms, planners interested in replicating the exercise need only adjust the scale of the game board and game pieces to match the local area and scale costs as necessary to account for different time horizons or local project costs