Lessons Learned Report 1 2008

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Lessons Learned

Baltimore Region Environmental and Transportation Project

Prepared for: The Environmental Protection Agency Principal Investigator Glenn Robinson, MM. MA. Research Scientist, School of Engineering and Institute for Urban Research Morgan State University 2009 All Rights Reserved

Filling The Gap. Define it! Prioritize it! Analyze it! Evaluate it! Document it!

Lessons Learned The Baltimore Region Environmental Justice in Transportation Project

Table of Contents Acknowledgments .............................................................................................................................................3 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................4 The Project.......................................................................................................................................................4 Lessons Learned.............................................................................................................................................5 Methodology.......................................................................................................................................................7 Source of Information....................................................................................................................................7 Activities..........................................................................................................................................................8 Output and Products .........................................................................................................................................8 Public Participation Framework ..................................................................................................................9 Six Phase Drill down Process .......................................................................................................................9 Literature Review.........................................................................................................................................12 Community Guide .......................................................................................................................................12 Environmental Justice Toolkit....................................................................................................................12 Environmental Justice Toolkit Technical Documentation......................................................................12 Outcome ............................................................................................................................................................13 Results................................................................................................................................................................14 Impact on Management and Policy...............................................................................................................14 Next Steps .........................................................................................................................................................15 Bibliography .....................................................................................................................................................16

Figure Figure 1: Lessons Learned ................................................................................................................................6 Figure 2 Product Output ...................................................................................................................................9 Figure 3 : Public Participation and Analysis Framework.....................................................................................10 Figure 4 Triage Intake Process .......................................................................................................................11 Figure 5: Measuring Equity ............................................................................................................................13 Figure 6: Potential Triage Committee Members.........................................................................................15 Table Table 1: EJ Impact Analysis Tools Used In Baltimore...................................................................................5 2

Lessons Learned The Baltimore Region Environmental Justice in Transportation Project

Acknowledgments Support the Baltimore Region Environmental Justice and Transportation Project is through a Cooperative Agreement with Morgan State University. The research effort focused on the concerns of local residents, transit dependant and community leaders in four Baltimore City communities: Kirk Ave., Cherry Hill, Highway–to-Nowhere, and Lexington Market. The project team acknowledges Victor McMahan, Environmental Protection Agency, Gloria Shepard Federal Highway Administration, Tony Brown, Maryland Transit Administration and Harvey Bloom, Baltimore Metropolitan Commission. As well we are grateful to the community groups for their fine work, the support they gave to this research, as well as their willingness to continue to share their experience with us and with other communities. We wish them the best as they strive to participate in planning decisions to ensure accessible, affordable and reliable transportation for people with disabilities, low incomes and others in their communities.

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Lessons Learned The Baltimore Region Environmental Justice in Transportation Project

Introduction This lessons learned report summaries the research activities, accomplishments, outputs, outcomes and next steps resulting from the development of the Environmental Justice and Transportation Toolkit (EJTK), a web based toolkit (http://www.brejtp.org). This research continues to be ongoing in that it serves as a vehicle for low income and minority communities’ taxpayers to address issues and concerns, utilizing a framework for public participation that is both meaningful and responsive to public input. That the BREJT Project achieved its objective of bringing together community stakeholders to identify local concerns and potential remedies is demonstrated by emergence of similarly formatted projects, such as, the “By Choice not By Chance Conference, Baltimore, April 2007”, “Public Health Risk and “Transportation conference, Baltimore July 2007” and “Baltimore Cities Sustainability Plan, Baltimore, December 2008”. In recognizing the success of BREJT we pay tribute to the contribution to EJ analysis of NCHRP 8-11, NCHRP 532 and the Atlanta Risk and Burdens Study and acknowledge that the BREJT project sits on their shoulders to make its contribution to improving the transportation decision making process in support of regional and urban air quality, housing and transportation goals. As well the development of the EJTK precedes emerging efforts in the academic community to address the needs of underserved populations. This lessons learned report acknowledges the EJTK success in encouraging other efforts that seek to advance the comparative evaluation of benefits, such as travel time saved or accessibility to jobs from a regional transportation plan to the costs, amount of taxes paid by each income group, and by looking at how the burdens, such as deteriorated air quality and excessive noise are distributed across income, ethnic, and age groups. That said, this project formulates a guide for repurposing and remixing traditional planning tools to address contemporary EJ issues by using a real time application format to raise the level of understanding about transportation related environmental evaluation.

The Project The Baltimore Region Environmental Justice in Transportation project (BREJTP) is a community driven bottom up collaborative research effort funded by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHA) and to develop a systematic process that integrates environmental justice into the existing transportation decision making process. The projects primary mission has been to encourage government and communities to better work together to achieve environmentally sound solutions when addressing community identified environmental problems. The need for this work is based the premise: 1) low income and minority communities are still in need of effective channels for working within the “system”, 2) finding solutions to community based EJ issues are central and urgent to the tenants of environmental justice (EJ) in that they promote a better understanding of the decision making process, 3) the resolution of EJ issues will involve an iterative analysis process that promotes collaboration rather than agitation and 4) that equity impact analysis overlaps with and is dependent on a complexity interrelated transportation, housing, public health and governance issues. The four case studies conducted to achieve the projects objectives are briefly described below: •Kirk case study focus evaluates the bus depot impact on a inner-city working class neighborhood. •Cherry Hill case study evaluates public transit service changes, service reductions and poor service delivery in a predominately African American and low-income community. 4

Lessons Learned The Baltimore Region Environmental Justice in Transportation Project

•Lexington Market case study analyzes the reaction to changes in transit service in an historic shopping destination frequented by lower-income residents from surrounding communities in central Baltimore. •Highway to Nowhere case study evaluates concerns communities in the U.S. Route 40 Corridor. Here the focus is on plans for a proposed Red Line and efforts to create transit-oriented development around an existing commuter rail station (West Baltimore MARC) and the fear of community disruption, destruction and dislocation which occurred in the partially abandoned I-170 which divided low income and minority West Baltimore Communities in the 1960s.

Lessons Learned The tools shown in table 1 were used in four BREJT case studies ( Kirk Avenue, Cherry Hill, Lexington Market and Highway to Nowhere). While not providing a legal proof for injustice the several levels of analysis techniques serve as an EJ early warning system and demonstrate how issues associated with environmental justice in transportation (EJT) issues can be systematically evaluated by remixing traditional transportation planning impact measures and analytical tools. The lessons learned listed in figure 1 are color coded in order of intensity to bring awareness to issues that may not be in plain view of the public eye. Table 1: EJ Impact Analysis Tools Used In Baltimore Kirk Avenue

Measures of Impact - Proximity of depot to homes, number of bus using the facility that provide service to urban communities, public health risk factors associated with noise and pollution and impact on median sales price of homes. Analytical Procedures - buffer analysis, noise, transit operations, inventory public health risk factor and comparisons of property values surrounding other bus facilities.

Cherry Hill

Measure of Impact - Accessibility to employment center, mobility of transit dependant population particularly seniors with disabilities. Analytical Procedures Transit accessibility and population demographic analysis.

Lexington Market

Measures of Impact - Shoppers complained that they were forced to walk longer distances to connect with buses, exposed to the weather and vehicle exhaust, traffic at intersections, and street activity, generally while carrying packages and shepherding small children. Analytical Procedures -Upon review of the situation, initial concerns about serious congestion and health effects due to prolonged exposure to vehicle activity - as framed in the community discussions–appeared less severe than initially portrayed.

Highway To Nowhere

Measures of Impact – Evaluate the impact of commuter traffic and local congestion on the local areas. Analytical Procedures - ADT, select link, population demographic, mobile source emissions evaluation, transit service and accessibility analysis.

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Lessons Learned The Baltimore Region Environmental Justice in Transportation Project

Figure 1: Lessons Learned •In the case study communities we found a common desire for a better living environment, a more responsive government, and the demise of blight and decay. We also discover that planning tools are not comprehensively used by state, regional and local agencies employed to evaluate EJ issues which suggest the need for the propagation of cross agency EJ enforceable service and planning standards. •The clear message that when individuals, neighborhoods and communities are motivated, well organized, and better educated on transportation issues and improvement options a sense of community ownership is created that can better influence project selection outcomes that reinforce regional growth with healthier neighborhoods and stable communities •That Environmental Justice Analysis informs the transportation planning process through the introduction of a community based public participation framework that encourages low income and minority communities to use performance measures and analytical tools •That small area analysis when used by community organizers and planning professionals for a common purpose of improving accessibility and mobility can result in a more equitable way of assessing environmental justice and transportation issues at the local level has region wide benefits. •That the low-income neighborhoods communities and the transportation maintenance facilities that they attract may need better protections to ensure equitable treatment •That busses traveling through communities and passing near schools increase noise, exhaust pollution, decreases property value and contributes to a sense of neighborhood decline. •That thirty years after the Highway to Now-where was constructed there is still a community memory of the destruction, bitterness about what was done and distrust of the planning process. •There is a strong sense in the public that low income and minority communities had been marginalized by the decision-making process, and that commercial interests (such as a parking lot adjacent to the Lexington Market) were given preference over there well being. Upon review of the situation, initial concerns about serious congestion and health effects due to prolonged exposure to vehicle activity remain inconclusive and require an indoor – outdoor air pollution analysis. •Transportation investment such as light rail systems can be a blessing or a curse. Unequal access to light rail has limited utility for business and community use in general if it is particularly difficult for seniors, disabled populations and minority population to use. •Low Income Residents who have a higher incidence of congested related illness and seniors who have difficulty riding certain buses need better planning and operational safeguards.

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Lessons Learned The Baltimore Region Environmental Justice in Transportation Project

Methodology The overall methodology and approach to each case study involved a series of steps which revolved around the cooperation and participation of community stakeholders and various agencies. These steps included: a.) Problem definition (e.g. how widespread), b) Framing impacts (e.g., critical variables and measures), c) Selection and application of analytical techniques (e.g., spatial level of analysis), and d) Resolution and feedback (e.g., evaluation of the tools that might be employed, or have been employed). To accomplish the analysis of community driven issues, BREJT was structured into three sequential phases:



Phase I – Community Outreach: Designed to determine what the key issues and concerns are to candidate subgroups, as well as identify methods for reaching the correct segments.



Phase II – Develop Environmental Justice in Transportation Tool Kit: to develop an environmental justice in transportation planning guide that supports interactive exchanges between the MPO, community residents, and transportation agencies.



Phase III – Dissemination of Findings and Possible New Tools: Encouraging the propagation and dissemination of the improved procedures through academic curriculum, technology transfer, and peer exchange. There is also the possibility that tools are not identified in Phase II that will need to be developed in a future phase.

Building upon the findings in Phase I, Phase II of the project developed and organized the EJ & Transportation Toolkit. In Phase III the most relevant accessibility and air quality related issues in highly impacted and representative environmental justice communities in the Baltimore region were disseminated on http://www.brejtp.org

Source of Information  Existing data  Follow up interviews or surveys.  Focus groups designed to foster interaction among key stakeholders, and to allow these interchanges to raise knowledge and perceptions about less obvious contributing concerns or about potential solutions.  Sketch planning methods, i.e., ad hoc techniques that provide a reasonable approximation of the effect or result with the data and tools at hand, such as with a spreadsheet that has default values for certain parameters and instructs the user on what data to supply.  Regional travel forecasting model to estimate either how widespread the particular effect is across the regional network, or if there are changes in travel mode, route, destination or other effects that result in a geographic redistribution of benefits.  Traffic simulation tools, particularly to evaluate the effects on traffic flow and congestion of actions or events that influence travel levels in corridors or on local street networks.  Geographic information system (GIS) tools to spatially locate and deal with the overlay of transportation issues or improvements on particular population market segments.

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Lessons Learned The Baltimore Region Environmental Justice in Transportation Project

Activities In 2004, a series of 8 listening sessions and a community dialogue were held in communities throughout the Baltimore region. These events offered the public a chance to share their concerns about transportation in the region. There were over 130 participants. The 2006, Phase II activities are listed below. In July of 2006, over 50 people gathered to kick off Phase II of the project. At this event, participants chose the top three areas of concern in the Baltimore region - access to quality transit service, air quality and congestion, and public involvement in the planning process - and potential communities where these concerns exist. In March of 2006 a second interim community workshop was held to report back to the community. • 2 Community Workshops • Over 30 Case Study Work Group Meetings • 3 Oversight Committee Meetings • Project Team Meeting with MTA, City and Regional Officials • Quantitative Analysis • Toolkit Dissemination The result of the above community driven process was to develop the case studies below to explore the concerns that were initially raised in the listening sessions. The following locations and issues were selected:    

Kirk Avenue - Air pollution and Noise Cherry Hill – History of Transit Service Changes West Baltimore (Highway to Nowhere) – History of Public Participation Lexington Market – Pedestrian Access, Saftey and Convenience

In March 2007, after much work by community groups and research by the team, the case studies were presented to attendees of a community workshop and on Saturday, October 25, 2008 BREJT reported backed to the community fulfilling its promise of not researching and running. The event, hosted by the BREJT team is an important step in sustaining this regional initiative. The highlight of the workshop was the release of a Community Guide (PDF: 9,927 KB) intended to provide information to communities on what EJ is and how to bring issues to the attention of local officials and Metropolitan Planning Organizations, such as the Baltimore Regional Transportation Board. Also of note was the presence and participation of so many community members that have contributed to the understanding and advancement of EJ in the Baltimore region.

Output and Products The toolkit has been made available electronically to provide easy access to planners as well as citizens. Discussed below are the primary outputs from this research. They are: public participation framework, drill down analysis process to tease out what happened, who was involved and what the community wants, and a commitment from the MPO to maintain an open channel for processing EJ issues. The projects primary products are described below the following illustration.

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Lessons Learned The Baltimore Region Environmental Justice in Transportation Project

Figure 2 Product Output

Products Community Guidebook Triage Process

EJ Toolkit

Technical Documentation Case Studies that Address How Does Environmental Justice Intersects with Transportation Baltimore Region Environmental Justice in Transportation Project

October 25, 2007

Public Participation Framework The diagram in Figure 2 shows the recommended BREJT public participation framework and analysis process. It serves as a guide for understanding, scoping, framing and confirming community based issues to arrive at agreed upon solutions using a basket of traditional analysis approaches and performance measures. The user is encouraged to practice the processes and procedures illustrated below by descriptively documenting in a journal those community issues, which are believed to have transportation and environmental justice impacts; then after defining the problem, provide specific examples and surmise potential impacts.

Six Phase Drill down Process 1.) Each phase used in this approach is meant to be inclusive of both the EJ communities and the transportation agency of responsibility. Phase 1 - Community-Driven Intergovernmental Engagement and Cooperation Phase 2 - Community Assessment and Citizen Input (Identify the Local Problems) Phase 3 - Information Gathering and Analysis (Due Diligence) Phase 4 - Developing a Community Profile (Analytical) Phase 5 - Drill Down to Evaluate the EJT Issues (Evaluation) Phase 6 - Being Heard (Communicating) 2.) In applying the above phases we developed a local EJ network of concerned low income and minority residents and their advocates and a public participation framework model. The public participation model (Figure 2) is one of three core environmental justice-planning components. The other two components are performance measures and analytical tools. These components combine to provide environmental justice evaluation methods and procedures that maybe be used to confirm or negate issues identified in low-income communities. In particular the public participation framework is designed as the starting point for vetting issues and developing analysis strategies for 9

Lessons Learned The Baltimore Region Environmental Justice in Transportation Project

interrogating environmental justice and transportation issues through a triage-type activity that has multiple screening levels and explicit feedback loops. 3.) Develop a compendium of the technical memoranda prepared into EJ toolkit that specifically best evaluate issues first at the unit and zonal level. Develop a better understanding of the breath of EJ Issues and how to best Frame the Analysis, Measure impacts and challenges of major issues develop a better understanding of analytic tools and considerations evaluating and by extension selecting analytical tools and analysis procedures for evaluating EJ issues. Advance analytical procedures by applying a store of performance measures and analytical procedures that are available for Environmental Justice and Transportation decision making. 4.) As a result of the BREJT project’s listening sessions and community dialogue where over 120 individuals participated in an all-day workshop to share perceptions with elected officials, national experts, and academic specialists. We fined tuned a process for measuring equity Figure 1). Figure 3 : Public Participation and Analysis Framework

Step 1, as tends to be the case, issues and concerns related to social and environmental justice originate within the community. Step 2, when the community perceives that they are experiencing discrimination in the delivery of a public good or service they will likely be in need of additional information and/or analysis. An individual or community group may first take their concerns to the service provider, such as a transit agency, local planning department, or metropolitan planning organization. Step 3, when the evidence regarding discriminatory practices is not entirely clear, further evaluation 10

Lessons Learned The Baltimore Region Environmental Justice in Transportation Project

can be used to assess the concerns of the community. Step 4, this secondary problem screening and analysis step uses a formal process and follows the identification of issues at the community level. The next step in the process will be to communicate concerns to organizational heads with influence. Step 5, in all cases this will involve studying potential solutions or alternatives that have been identified by an individual, neighborhood, advocacy group or a planning professional. In some cases this may involve having solutions or alternatives already in hand. In other cases these solutions may not be known yet but rather need further exploration. The communications step is important because it dictates whether the ensuing process will be contentious or not. This point the process is referred to as the Triage Process. Decisions will be made about how the concern or issue will be treated, especially in relation to its urgency and extent. The intake process for step 5 is illustrated below in Figure 4. Step 6, d If it is determined that the concern should be addressed relatively soon, actions may include toolkit analysis, mediation, or legal action as appropriate. Step 7, otherwise, the standard MPO planning review process can be used. Step 8 or a particular action or remedy could be arrived at by consensus. Step 9, evaluation of each of these three paths should then occur to determine whether the outcomes of the process are deemed acceptable. In summary if the acceptability of an outcome remains in question, the EJ analysis framework should lead back to the Triage Process (step 5) where it can be re-evaluated along with any new information generated during steps 6. 7., or 8. Otherwise the process can continue on to the Planning Board or other decision-making body (step 10). Figure 4 Triage Intake Process



Triage Committee

Mailbox MPO

c/o

Issue assigned to appropriate agency

Community receives response and is ok or comes back to MPO

Agency reviews issue and works with community

Baltimore Region Environmental Justice in Transportation Project

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October 25, 2007

Lessons Learned The Baltimore Region Environmental Justice in Transportation Project

Literature Review The document discusses the need for guidance is both aided and made uncertain by the growing number of case studies and research reports on EJ. In the course of developing our proposal to construct an EJT Toolkit under Phase II of the Baltimore Region Environmental Justice and Transportation (BREJT) project, we have conducted a preliminary review of the literature to establish whether our premise is valid. This paper summarizes our review of what we believe to be the key studies and reports that have been produced to date on environmental justice in transportation. In particular, we have reviewed EJ case studies that have been published by FHWA or FTA, or that have been sponsored by these agencies and their documentation made available on the respective websites.

Community Guide This report demonstrates the sense of urgency for community-action by introducing to the reader common symptoms of environment injustice, a sketch of the legal definition of Environmental Justice, key components of EJT analysis approaches in the context a public participation framework for addressing environmental justice and transportation issues.

Environmental Justice Toolkit This EJ toolkit is a guide to assist metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), communities, and other stakeholders avoid, minimize, or mitigate the social, economic, or environmental consequences of transportation projects and policies. It is designed to help determine the extent of environmental justice and transportation (EJT) issues in low-income and minority communities (EJ communities). This toolkit includes six chapters that provide a framework to better understand environmental justice (EJ) issues related to transportation projects (existing and new) and methods to define, analyze, evaluate and document such findings. Throughout the toolkit, examples of four Baltimore communities are used to demonstrate how tools can work to identify and reduce EJT concerns.

Environmental Justice Toolkit Technical Documentation This report presents an evaluation of each case study and in doing so identifies, analyzes and evaluates a mix of community identified Environmental Justice (EJ) issues at various levels of geographical detail. The document is designed as a guide for determining EJ issues relevance and to ultimately develop evaluative criteria that can be used in the transportation planning process. As a part of the final report a summary of the analysis activities undertaken in relation to each case study is provided. For each study there is presented a profile, beginning with a brief Description of the setting and the concerns, followed by an inventory of the Investigations undertaken in support of the concerns, and then a presentation of the Findings resulting from the analysis and review of the key questions. In the final section each profile is summarized and followed by the conclusions and recommendations resulting from the analysis. The toolkit is a planning guide developed by using the lens of low-income and minority groups to serve as a planning resource for community activist, transportation professionals, civil servants, and public servants who have responsibility for spending and advocating for an equitable distribution of federal funding. The strength of this guide lies in its intent to foster a better understanding of Environmental Justice and Transportation particularly in low-income and minority communities by 12

Lessons Learned The Baltimore Region Environmental Justice in Transportation Project

providing a better understanding of core transportation planning process mechanisms.

Outcome The EJ issues identified in the case studies as categorized below in Figure 5 serve as a guide for conducting EJ impact analysis. They were developed using the enhanced community involvement and technical analysis process described in the Toolkit (Figure 3). Community groups who are using this guide are demonstrating an improved ability to measure and track environmental, health and community well-being impacts and press of continued progress in the Baltimore region. Figure 5: Measuring Equity

Community Issues

Community Driven Public Participation Goal

Job Access

Economic Vitality and Competitiveness

Maintenance

Safety and Security (Motorized and Non)

Increased Accessibility

Increase Accessibility and Mobility Options

Reduce Air and Noise Pollution

Protect Environment, Conserve Energy and Improve Quality of Life Enhance Connectivity and Integration Across Modes for People and Freight Manage and Preserve Existing Transportation System Local Regional Statewide

Improved Transit Route Structure

Need Assessment

Funding Equity

13

Objectives

Performance Measures

Encourage Employment Opportunities; Urban Communities Stop the Use of Old Equipment in Low Income Neighborhoods Access to Jobs

Work opportunities within 15, 30 and 45 minutes by car and transit door-to-door. Percent of transit-dependent riders who can access jobs with 45 minutes by fixed route of transit Percent and characteristic of out-of-service buses coming into an area. Pedestrian/bicycle injuries & fatalities Vehicle Crashes, Age of Fleet Proximity to transit Level of Service Accessibility to health care facilities Accessibility to educational facilities Air pollution concentrations; Incidence rates of Respiratory disorders, Number of Households exposed to noise. Asthma rates in communities adjacent to large transportation facilities,

Clean Environment

Access to shopping and services

Number of fatalities Locations improved per million passenger miles

Advocate for project funding to improve local conditions.

Condition of roads and streets Condition of side walks Ratio of uncongested travel time between origins and destinations Per Capita Transportation expenditures Per Capita Operating Expenses Number of fatalities Identity of user who benefit Locations improved per million passenger miles

Fairness in Transit Funding

Lessons Learned The Baltimore Region Environmental Justice in Transportation Project

Results Because of the community focus, participation, and attention to replication, the Baltimore Region Environmental Justice and Transportation (BREJT) project has developed a strong public participation platform for analyzing environmental justice (EJ) issues that will help to identify critical mobile source related air pollutants, reduce the impacts from transportation facilities and improve transportation services to communities of concern in the Baltimore region. 1.) Phase I output, which included community listening sessions and a community workshop, verified the need for community input into transportation decisions affecting the communities of concern. The subsequent review of the literature and best practices verified the need for a practical toolkit to effectively address community EJ concerns and transportation and air quality planning requirements. 2.) The project identified service delivery distributional gaps and supported the need for the Phase II EJT toolkit - systematic guidance and techniques to undertake a comprehensive EJ and transportation program. 3.) The U.S. Department of Transportation has joined with EPA to support and expand Phase II of the Baltimore project. More specifically, DOT’s Transportation Equity Research Program (TERP) funding and technical assistance will be used to support the EJ case studies, toolkit development and replication. 4.) As well, community groups and not-for-profit organizations have embraced the development of the EJ toolkit to further advance the work pioneered by the:   

Atlanta Transportation Benefits and Burdens Study NCHRP Project 8-36(11): Technical Methods to Support Analyses of Environmental Justice Issues NCHRP Report 532: Effective Methods for Environmental Justice Assessment

5.) Low income community groups in each case study are seeking accountability in the planning process and are proactively engaging federal, state, regional and local planning requirements and processes. 6.) State, regional and local planning agencies as a pretext for long and short range plans and projects to improve system efficiencies put in place transportation, environmental and land use concepts with more focus on environmental justice and underserved populations.

Impact on Management and Policy During the course of this project in the Baltimore region there have been notable increases in the efforts of state, regional and local agencies to comply with the requirements of Title VI. In doing so they are reacting to the importance of actively reaching out to low-income and minority communities to ask for their input and encourage their participation in the planning process. As an active participant in the development of the toolkit, the Baltimore Metropolitan Planning ha been conducting the activities listed below and they are working to sustain this work effort by implement the BREJT recommended Triage committee, Figure 5. 14

Lessons Learned The Baltimore Region Environmental Justice in Transportation Project

    

Updating community outreach mailing lists Advising transportation planners on outreach activities Holding regularly scheduled listening sessions and public hearings Reviewing the annual transportation planning work plan Reviewing the annual Transportation Improvement Program update Figure 6: Potential Triage Committee Members

Evaluation of Environmental Justice Issues Public Health Institution Local Government

Urban Academic Institution

State DOT

Triage Committee

Business Group

MPO

Non - Profit Community Group

At the state, regional level and local level, this type of committee effort suggest that administrative rules maybe required to ensure that agencies go beyond merely identifying low income and minority communities but actively look for ways that are mitigate environmental justice problems.

Next Steps The project will initiate a quarterly news letter, encourage the use of the BREJT to blog important EJ issues, encourage the use and further development alternative public participation frameworks and continue to demonstrate the utility of alternative analytical procedures that identifies underserved population and promotes policies that create health urban environments. As well next steps will address the following observations. Although the study effectively introduced case studies that were informative of an overall transportation and environmental injustice relationships the link to policy are missed. This research can be strengthened if general policy conclusions and key findings can be made that could be relevant to broader policy initiative associated with issues identified in each of the study area and elsewhere in the region. The economic impact aspect of transportation systems (land and home values, business impacts, etc) are discussed but are not effectively integrated in the toolkit. No effective measure or indicator is broadly discussed in this study. Some of the economic indicators of the impact of transportation decisions on, say property values, could be an indicator of economic stress and inequity are not well specified. We will also continue to encourage MPO, transit agencies and local governments to adopt improved public participation frameworks and apply analytical procedures differently for evaluating EJ issue by targeting low income and minority communities through the replication of small area analysis. Continue to raise the level of EJ awareness in low income and minority communities by testing the toolkit in Pittsburg, Minneapolis, Detroit, Baltimore, Albany and Oakland. 15

Lessons Learned The Baltimore Region Environmental Justice in Transportation Project

Bibliography 1) Federal Highway Administration & Federal Transit Administration, Transportation & Environmental Justice Case Studies, US Department of Transportation Pub No. FHWA-EP-01-010 (December 2000). 2) Southern California Association of Governments, “Community-Link 21, Regional Transportation Plan: Equity and Accessibility Performance Indicators.” Transportation & Environmental Justice Case Studies US DOT Pub. No. FHWA-EP-01-010 (December 2000). 3) Capitol Region Council of Governments, “Environmental Justice & CRCOG’s Transportation Planning Program”, Environmental Justice & Title VI Challenge Grant, Hartford, CT (December 2002). 4) USDOT, FHWA, FTA, Transportation Benefits & Burdens in the Atlanta Region, Final Draft, May 2002 USDOT Office of Civil Rights Assessment of Environmental Justice and Public Involvement in the Atlanta Metropolitan Area”, Phase I Report (April 2000). 5) Cambridge Systematics, Inc. Technical Methods to Support Analysis of Environmental Justice Issues, NCHRP Project 8-36(11) (April 2002). 6) California Department of Transportation, Desk Guide, Environmental Justice in Transportation Planning and Investments, Division of Transportation Planning, Office of Policy Analysis & Research (January 2003). 7) Institute of Transportation Studies (ITS), Environmental Justice and Transportation: A Citizens Handbook. University of California at Berkeley (2003) Forkenbrock, D.J. and Sheeley, J. NCHRP Report 532: Effective Methods for Environmental Justice Assessment. Transportation Research Board (2004) 8) Case Studies in Environmental Justice and Public Transit Title VI Reporting. Final Report, TCRP Project J06, Task 47, FDOT BD 549-10 (Aug. 2005). 9) Case Studies in Environmental Justice and Public Transit Title VI Reporting. Final Report, TCRP Project J-06, Task 47, FDOT BD 549-10 (Aug. 2005). 10) Case Studies in Environmental Justice and Public Transit Title VI Reporting. Final Report, TCRP Project J-06, Task 47, FDOT BD 549-10 (Aug. 2005). 11) Forkenbrock, D.J. and Sheeley, J. Chapter 3, p 60 cites Bullard 1996 and Bryant and Mohai 1992. 12) Green R.S., Smorodinsky, S., Kim, J.J., McLaughlin, R., and Ostro, B. 2004. “Proximity of California Public Schools to Busy Roads”, Environmental Health Perspective, 112:61-66 (2004) 13) Gunier, R.B., Hertz, A., Von Behren, J., and Reynolds, P. “Traffic Density in California: Socioeconomic and Ethnic Differences among Potentially Exposed Children”. J Expo Anasis Environ Epidemiol 13:240-246. (2003). 14) Finkelstein MM, Jerrett M, Sears MR. Traffic air pollution and mortality rate advancement periods. Am J Epidemiol. 2004 Jul 15; 160 (2):173-7. 15) Kumanyika SK. Mini Symposium on Obesity: overview and some strategic considerations. Annual Rev Public Health. 2001; 22: 293-308 16) Frank LD, Andresen MA, Schmid TL. Obesity relationships with community design, physical activity, and time spent in cars. Am J Prev Med. 2004 Aug; 27(2):87-96. 17) Knox EG. Oil combustion and childhood cancers, J Epidemiol Community Health, 2005 Sep; 59(9):755-60. 18) Green RS, Smorodinsky S, Kim J, McLaughlin R, Ostro B. 2004. Proximity of California public schools to busy roads, Environ Health Perspect 112:61-66; Gunier RB, Hertz A, Von Behren J, Reynolds P. 2003. 19) Traffic density in California: Socioeconomic and ethnic differences among potentially exposed children. J Expo Anal Environ Epidemiol 13:240-246. 20) South Coast Air Quality Management District, Multiple Air Toxics Exposure Study-II (March 2000). California Environmental Protection Agency, Air Resources Board, April 2002 Fresno Asthmatic Children’s Environment Study (FACES) 21) Baltimore Region Environmental Justice in Transportation Project, Community Dialogue, November 2004 Baltimore Region Environmental Justice and Transportation Project Define it! Prioritize it! Analyze it! Evaluate it! Document it!

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