Community Engagement: The Key to Advancing Equitable Infrastructure

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, passed early in the Biden Administration, unlocked historic amounts of transportation funding. It also included ambitious directives for involving communities in the planning and implementation of projects. These directives that dovetail with a growing effort among planners to center equity and repair past harms. What tools and tactics are emerging? Learn from case studies of meaningful engagement. Then divide into groups to design engagement for typical transportation projects. What metrics will you use? Are you thinking about historical and cultural context? How about client and project team relationships? Dive in, especially if this is new to you.

Moderator: Marisa Denker, Chief Executive Officer, Connect the Dots, Philadelphia, PA
Rochelle Brahalla, Chief of Staff, Transit Development, Department of Transportation, City of New York, New York, New York, NY
Anne Krassner, Senior Program Manager, Department of Transportation, City of New York, New York, New York, NY
Jessica Stanton, Principal, Stanton Global Communications, Bend, OR
Shoshana Akins, Manager, Public Participation Planning, Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC), Philadelphia, PA