Abstract Manager

Whether it’s a Transportation Master Plan, a Corridor study or new Transportation Demand Management guidelines, the types of people who make their voices heard tend to look relatively similar, regardless of what the community at large looks like. Communities of Colour, people with disabilities, low-income residents, seniors, parents with young children and other populations that have been deemed ‘hard to reach’ are often left out of these discussions, meaning that their needs are not reflected in the final recommendations. As transportation professionals, it is high time to realize that these traditional approaches to outreach are not resulting in the type of feedback that improves our projects, and to flip the script on the type of outreach that is done when we are planning for new transportation projects.

Recent projects, including a project to improve the mobility of Temporary Agricultural Workers in Essex County and the development of an updated TDM Strategy in the Town of Ajax, have shown the value in improving outreach to these communities. The experiences on these projects and many others has demonstrated that these ‘hard to reach’ groups often have much to say about the planning of our mobility systems, but that the avenues for them to make their voices heard are often closed or fraught with barriers that limits their participation.

During this session, attendees will hear about recent outreach efforts that gathered significant feedback from populations that had been described as ‘hard to reach’ in previous planning processes. Through an exploration of recent efforts to reach out to temporary agricultural workers, faith groups, community agencies and low-income residents, the session will:

• Introduce the concept of ‘Dignity Infused Community Engagement’, which focuses on valuing the lived experiences of communities that have experienced marginalization;
• Share how engagement efforts to equity-deserving communities can surface new ideas, concepts and priorities when compared to traditional engagement techniques; and
• Demonstrate how thoughtful engagement techniques can turn a ‘hard to reach’ population into a source of valuable feedback to improve a project.

By attending this session, practitioners will gain a stronger understanding of the importance of hearing from people with different lived experiences, improving their outreach efforts and, ultimately, the outcomes of their projects.