2013 Session: 505

• Chinatown Curbside Management Study: Case Study on Implementing an Adaptive Public Outreach Framework in a Traditional Neighborhood
  Abstract: Manhattan’s Chinatown has a rich cultural heritage, which provides a vivid experience for its many users. This experience generates a considerable amount of vehicular and pedestrian traffic resulting in curbside challenges. Using best practices from similar neighborhood transportation studies, the New York City Department of Transportation’s Chinatown Curbside Management Study (CCMS) sought to address these challenges by developing curbside improvements. An interactive and transparent process was critical to the study’s success. The CCMS adapted its public outreach to provide increased engagement to a hierarchical, traditional, predominantly non-English speaking, and over-studied community. Numerous stakeholder meetings and public workshops were held throughout the course of the study. A formal workshop was restructured to include a simultaneous neighborhood park workshop. Bringing the workshop to the people established a rapport and fostered a relationship with the public. Instead of writing off poor meeting attendance, the project team adapted to allow better engagement. Similarly, various community groups hosted smaller-scale workshops, held in native languages, to provide personalized interaction. Participants played a board game, which focused on identified issues, potential improvements, and the associated trade-offs of these treatments. Most recently, a mobile open house traveled through the study area to provide information on the proposed pilot treatments and collect feedback.This case study is a useful lesson for public involvement practitioners, particularly when engaging diverse and unique communities. As robust public involvement project portfolios are developed and implemented, it is critical that practitioners learn from and listen to the community and utilize an adaptive engagement approach.
  Authors: Camay, Stephanie; Gray, Nathan; Stein, David; Maguire, Thomas; Sanagavarapu, Suchitra; Leung, Jennifer; Mosseri, Gill; Jordan, Patrick B.
  Authors: Camay, Stephanie; Gray, Nathan; Stein, David; Maguire, Thomas; Sanagavarapu, Suchitra; Leung, Jennifer; Mosseri, Gill; Jordan, Patrick B.
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting; Society
  Session: 505
  Paper Number: 13-0381
• Beyond Westway and After Terrorist Attacks of 9/11: Citizens' Role and Route 9A
  Abstract: From 1973 to the present day, New York City’s Route 9A – from Battery Park to West 59th Street has been transformed from a crumbling 1930’s elevated highway in a derelict post-maritime environment of rotting piers and abandoned buildings into a first class multi-modal, at-grade tree-lined urban boulevard with a recreation focus. Route 9A connects Lower Manhattan and the west side of Manhattan with the Hudson River Park and waterfront, and has been a premier example of the economic revitalization that can happen when urban design and community involvement combine with engineering and the environment. The New York State Department of Transportation reconstructed Route 9A in seven segments and bid as seven contracts. As the last contract was winding down in the roadway directly adjacent to the World Trade Center, the terrorist events of September 11, 2001 occurred, placing a new emphasis on people, the environment, coordination, and rebuilding Lower Manhattan in the post 9/11 environment. Route 9A then and now is a vital link. This paper describes the process of that transformation and how adversity experienced along the way was overcome – both beyond Westway and post 9/11 at the World Trade Center, and the vital citizen’s role in rebuilding Route 9A.
  Authors: Weiss, Lisa D.
  Authors: Weiss, Lisa D.
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting; Society
  Session: 505
  Paper Number: 13-2934
• Public Involvement Performance Measurement Tool
  Abstract: The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) wants to ensure that all interested parties have an opportunity to participate fully in the transportation decision-making process and that public input is carefully considered. Although public involvement is now an integral part of project development, few efforts have been undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of FDOT public involvement activities. What efforts have been undertaken tend to focus on outputs (e.g. number of participants at meetings), rather than outcomes (e.g. articipant satisfaction with the process). In an effort to improve public involvement performance measurement, FDOT contracted with the Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) at the University of South Florida to develop performance measures and tools to gauge the effectiveness of FDOT public involvement activities. This paper describes the process undertaken in the development of the Public Involvement Performance Measurement Data Collection and Analysis Tool (PIPM Tool) a software tool to enable FDOT project managers and senior management to document, track, and evaluate the agency’s public involvement efforts. The tool is a graphic user interface built on a Microsoft Access database. The paper will be of value to transportation professionals looking to develop a public involvement performance measurement system of their own or any transportation agency currently engaged in public involvement performance measurement that is looking to improve upon their current measurement structure.
  Authors: Kramer, Jeffrey; Pontoriero, Domenico; McCarville, Melissa Rose; Williams, Kristine M.
  Authors: Kramer, Jeffrey; Pontoriero, Domenico; McCarville, Melissa Rose; Williams, Kristine M.
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting; Society
  Session: 505
  Paper Number: 13-4390
• Visualizing Transportation Improvement Plan Projects Using Three-Dimensional Virtual Globe Embedded in a Website
  Abstract: SAFETEA-LU mandates that MPOs empower the public by providing them with data and information in a format that they can easily use and understand. This includes publishing transportation plans and transportation improvement plans (TIPS) on the Internet and utilizing visualization techniques to communicate this information. This paper will describe how PPACG developed a webpage that embedded Google Earth© to display regional information showing environmental, socioeconomic and transportation layers. This includes specific instructions in using for creating the content. The goal is create an easy way for decision-makers, stakeholders and voters to understand how proposed transportation projects interact with the region.
  Authors: Casper, Craig T.; Donley, Chuck; Orwig, Paul
  Authors: Casper, Craig T.; Donley, Chuck; Orwig, Paul
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting; Society
  Session: 505
  Paper Number: 13-0575
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Understanding Public Involvement Practice in North Carolina Metropolitan Planning Organizations: Analysis of Goals and Tactics
  Abstract: Transportation planning in the United States is conducted by a range of federal, state and local agencies, each with its own interests and constituencies. Metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) have emerged as one of the dominant forces in shaping the future of America’s major highways and transit systems. As a part of their federally-mandated duties for planning for major transportation infrastructure, MPOs have been charged with involving the public in their decision making. Though certain state and federal public participation requirements apply to all 17 of North Carolina’s MPOs, there are differences in the ways that these organizations engage with those requirements and provide or do not provide meaningful opportunities for public involvement in the planning that they do. This paper explores and records those differences. Through a comparison of the tactics that MPOs used in their public involvement programs and the goals that MPOs set for those programs, this paper outlines several strengths and weaknesses of current practice.Major strengths of current practice include a diversity of tactics and opportunities for involvement throughout the process. A prevalence of tactics that are more informational in nature, a lack of online participation methods, and inadequate attention on underserved groups are some of the key weaknesses. These strengths and weaknesses suggest four key recommendations for moving forward. MPOs should pay more attention to underserved groups, seek to get feedback from residents (as opposed to educating them), move some participation online and move beyond simply meeting federal requirements.
  Authors: Miles, Jeffrey David
  Authors: Miles, Jeffrey David
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting; Society
  Session: 505
  Paper Number: 13-1069
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Analyzing Use of Facebook Pages Among State Departments of Transportation
  Abstract: Social media has become a popular tool for both public agencies and the industry to publish news and interact with their customers. This study presents a review on how State Departments of Transportation (DOTs) use Facebook page to communicate with the public. As of June 12, 2012, 22 of the U.S. state DOTs have created Facebook pages. The objective of this paper is to analyze how users response to different types of content (e.g., links, status, photos and videos) that have been posted on the Facebook pages by state DOTs. A total of 17,131 posts, taken from April 18, 2008 to June 12, 2012, were extracted from Facebook and analyzed. The results of this study can help state DOTs better understand how the public reacts to the information provided through Facebook, so that they can adjust their social media strategies for more effective communication.
  Authors: Gao, Lu; Zhang, Zhanmin; Wu, Hui
  Authors: Gao, Lu; Zhang, Zhanmin; Wu, Hui
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting; Society
  Session: 505
  Paper Number: 13-2295
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Measuring Performance of Public Engagement in Transportation Planning: Three Best Principles
  Abstract: Measuring performance provides a variety of benefits: establishing accountability with the public, enabling management and performance improvements, increasing transparency, and building public trust. The most recent transportation authorization bill, Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21), includes a heavy focus on performance measurement. Despite such strong reasons, measuring the performance of public engagement in transportation planning has proved difficult due to a variety of issues, including unclear goals, limited funding, and the situational nature of engagement activities.To address some of these issues, the author analyzes the literature of best practices for public engagement in transportation planning and derives three principles that encapsulate the contained concepts. The three principles include accessible events, engaging interactions, and an outcome-oriented process. The author developed a performance scorecard rubric to operationalize the three principles. The scorecard provides an intuitive and concise method to measure and display performance information. This paper organizes the disparate and fragmented literature of recommended practices into a usable framework, which enables practitioners to understand more easily the important aspects of public engagement and better measure the performance of engagement activities. It also progresses the discourse surrounding public engagement and performance measurement. Additional study would provide opportunities for further refinement and investigation of the efficacy of the system the author developed in a real-world setting.
  Authors: Wagner, Jason
  Authors: Wagner, Jason
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting; Society
  Session: 505
  Paper Number: 13-2646
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Using Technology to Build and Manage a Two-Way Public Conversation on Transportation Issues
  Abstract: The Ferry Riders’ Opinion Group (FROG) panel and online survey work were the precursors to the development of the Voice of Washington State (VOWS) program. Both FROG and VOWS programs are administered by the Washington State Transportation Commission to provide a real-time way to elicit citizen views on transportation policy and funding and share them with state and local decision makers.The Commission, which is responsible for setting ferry fares and tolls, began by assessing ferry riders’ customer service attitudes and opinions. After discovering how eager ferry riders were to share their ideas and opinions, the Commission created an online survey panel to conduct research, listen to, and communicate with riders about service, fares, planning, and system investments.This paper highlights how the FROG panel was developed, how members are recruited and retained, and how survey results are analyzed and reported to both decision makers and to panel members. The success of the FROG has resulted in legislative action to increase capital funding for state ferries and spurred the development and launch of the statewide survey, which has evolved to the VOWS survey panel and its ability to probe views of Washington residents on all transportation topics.
  Authors: Griffith, Reema; Young, Bill
  Authors: Griffith, Reema; Young, Bill
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting; Society
  Session: 505
  Paper Number: 13-4409
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Beyond Westway and After Terrorist Attacks of 9/11: Citizens' Role and Route 9A
  Authors: Weiss, Lisa
  Authors: Weiss, Lisa
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation; Poster
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting; Society
  Session: 505
  Paper Number: 13-2934
• Public Involvement Performance Measurement Tool
  Authors: Kramer, Jeffrey
  Authors: Kramer, Jeffrey
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation; Poster
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting; Society
  Session: 505
  Paper Number: 13-4390
• Using Technology to Build and Manage a Two-Way Public Conversation on Transportation Issues
  Authors: Griffith, Reema
  Authors: Griffith, Reema
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation; Poster
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting; Society
  Session: 505
  Paper Number: 13-4409
• Public Outreach Planner from Idaho Department of Transportation
  Authors: Kuechle, Bryant
  Authors: Kuechle, Bryant
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation; Poster
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting; Society
  Session: 505
  Paper Number: P13-5174
• Application of Innovative Public Involvement Tools (Kuna Downtown Corridor Plan, Idaho)
  Authors: Daleiden, Andy
  Authors: Daleiden, Andy
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation; Poster
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting; Society
  Session: 505
  Paper Number: P13-5191
• How would you invest San Francisco's transportation dollars: be the City's budget czar for a day!
  Authors: Brisson, Liz
  Authors: Brisson, Liz
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation; Poster
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting; Society
  Session: 505
  Paper Number: P13-6974
• Talking Trade-Offs: Using interactive public involvement techniques to prioritize investment on Minnesota's state highways
  Authors: Wilson, Ryan
  Authors: Wilson, Ryan
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation; Poster
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting; Society
  Session: 505
  Paper Number: P13-6975
• Chinatown Curbside Management Study: Case Study on Implementing an Adaptive Public Outreach Framework in a Traditional Neighborhood
  Authors: Camay, Stephanie
  Authors: Camay, Stephanie
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation; Poster
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting; Society
  Session: 505
  Paper Number: 13-0381
• Florida 2060 Transportation Plan
  Authors: Walker, Sarah
  Authors: Walker, Sarah
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation; Poster
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting; Society
  Session: 505
  Paper Number: P13-5179
• Port Authority Trans-Hudson Customer Travel Survey
  Authors: O'Donnell, Susan
  Authors: O'Donnell, Susan
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation; Poster
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting; Society
  Session: 505
  Paper Number: P13-5190