External link: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/21650020.2014.969442

Publication date: January 1, 2014

Capsule summary: A study of two transportation planning public engagement methods and how their findings can best be incorporated into transportation plans.

Author(s): Griffin, Greg P

Publisher(s): Urban, Planning and Transport Research

Definition: Exploring methods of public involvement in transportation planning processes
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Definitions: The movement of people
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Definitions: Transportation on foot
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Definitions: Transportation by automobile
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Definition: A federally funded transportation policy-making organization, comprised of local government representatives and transportation authorities
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Description: This study examines two frequently-used public engagement techniques in transportation planning–open-ended written questionnaires and participatory mapping–and the ways in which they can produce input from community stakeholders that transportation planners can act on. The author uses a case study of a transportation planning process in Blanco County, Texas to see how these two techniques were implemented, and how feedback gained from such processes can be most effectively incorporated into transportation plans and policies.

Objectives: This paper has three primary goals. First, it looks at the issues in the participatory mapping process that are specific to transportation. Next, it seeks to understand how planners can balance the positionality and values of practitioners and stakeholders through participatory mapping. And finally, it examines how geographic specificity can be incorporated in the process of transportation planning public engagement.

Findings: The study found that since transportation deals with inherently spatial phenomena, participatory mapping is a very effective means of public engagement in the planning process. However, planners must be very deliberate in the types of maps they use and how information is depicted, in order to get the most useful feedback. It also found that the process of participatory mapping can help to bridge the gap between the technical knowledge of transportation experts and the ground-level experience of local stakeholders. Finally, it found that geographically-specific knowledge generated through participatory mapping is easier to incorporate into transportation plans than the knowledge generated by more conventional, written feedback surveys.

Recommendations: Open-ended written surveys and participatory mapping are both valuable techniques for collecting public input, and all transportation planners should use a variety of methods in their public outreach efforts. However, geographically-specific knowledge generated through participatory mapping can be more effective in identifying areas of concern than open-ended questionnaires. But above all, planners must understand the communities in which they are operating before they devise their engagement strategies, in order to most effectively reach the greatest number of community stakeholders.

Research Theme: Public Involvement

Community Type: Rural

Transportation Mode: Automobile, Pedestrian, Personal

Planning Scope: Regional or Metro Area

Organization Type: County, MPO or RPO

Planning Subject: Facility or Land Use, Transportation Planning