Equitable Outreach Strategies in Action

Along with Christine Edwards of Amplify Consulting, Jamille Robbins of NCDOT, and Simone Robinson of Public Participation Partners, Kimley-Horn’s Stephen Stansbery, AICP, engaged in a MetroQuest forum on equity and public engagement for transportation planning. MetroQuest’s Dave Biggs led the panelists in a discussion about effective strategies for diverse public engagement—using case studies to demonstrate successful tools and techniques.

Some of the questions addressed during the panel included:

• How will we know that we are successful in being more inclusive?
• How can we still achieve equitable outreach and engage with Title VI communities with more limited in-person engagement opportunities?
• How can planners get adequate resources or funding for equitable outreach strategies?

Many of these topics are at the forefront now as Edwards and Stansbery partner on the Charlotte Strategic Mobility Plan (Charlotte MOVES), a 5-to-10-year vision to enhance mobility by using transportation investments to support community goals. Through this plan, transportation decision-making will be integrated with housing, economic development, safety, equity, and environmental sustainability. To gather data, Edwards held equity-based focus groups to reach diverse community members including those that may not have filled out online surveys and people for whom English is not their first language. This information was used to inform Charlotte MOVES of the community’s priorities and challenges with transit and mobility.

To learn more about how to identify and remove barriers to community engagement, view the webinar FAQs or watch the full webinar.