01658672

Component

Recent research on public involvement suggests that much of urban planning is now dominated by a communicative approach, replacing a process driven by rational decision-making with empirical, but reductive, data. Few studies have explored the details of how public involvement is deployed, and what impacts it has on the outcomes. This case study focuses on the actionable particulars of the development of a pedestrian bridge in a suburban neighborhood of Austin, Texas, using 15 sources of information, including a detailed interview with the primary project planner. Findings suggest that public involvement can be fundamentally stochastic, trust-building can transfer power and necessitates strong leaders and creative staff. Finally, the role of communication from all actors, reached by the project planners were found to contribute to outcomes, but the exclusion of low-income communities persistently silenced voices that stood to be affected by the project. Relying on one or few modes of public involvement was insufficient to consistently address the goals of either city staff or local neighborhood opposition. Urban planners should seek the support of their organizations to reach as many different populations that could be affected by a project as feasible—the people who have the least resources to influence a project may also be the hardest to reach.

This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ADA60 Standing Committee on Public Involvement in Transportation.

18-00054

English

14p

2018

Transportation Research Board 97th Annual Meeting

Digital/other

Figures; Maps; References

Case studies; City planning; Footbridges; Public participation

Safe Routes to School (Program)

Austin (Texas)

Bridges and other structures; Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Planning and Forecasting

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2018 Paper #18-00054

TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Jan 8 2018 10:02AM