TERI Administrator Note (January 2009): Project has been funded as NCHRP 25-25: Task 62 for 2009, “Improving the Effectiveness of Outreach to Traditional and Non-Traditional Groups by Integrating the Expertise of Existing and Emerging Citizen Coalitions into Transportation Analysis and Decision Making”

Participatory activism by social justice organizations has challenged traditional notions of transportation planning and research. Social justice coalitions are introducing their own data, analyses, cost/benefit calculations, and alternatives into transportation planning processes, creating new political dynamics and issues for transportation agencies and decision makers that are only beginning to be examined. Research is needed on planning frameworks that can accommodate a broader spectrum of data and perspectives, as well as on improved ways to include the public in transportation analyses and evaluations.New approaches to public involvement that focus on collaboration and mutual learning rather than  comment and feedback show significant promise. Research should help elucidate the conditions under which these methods are effective, and evaluate their effectiveness in transportation planning and environmental assessment.