The document discusses context sensitive solutions in transportation planning, environmental analysis, and design. It covers topics like community impact assessment, environmental justice, and assessing impacts on the human and natural environment. The goal is to ensure transportation decisions consider community needs and quality of life through public involvement and evaluation of social, economic, cultural and environmental impacts.

1. Context Sensitive Solutions in Transportation
Class 10 Planning, Environmental Analysis and Design
CSS within the
Socio-Economic Context
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2. Context Sensitive Solutions in Transportation
Learning Outcomes Planning, Environmental Analysis and Design
•Community Impact Assessment (CIA)
•Application to team project
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3. Context Sensitive Solutions in Transportation
Re-Defining Context Planning, Environmental Analysis and Design
Laws & Regulations
Project
Funding? Context Politics?
for
Transportation
Human Environment Natural Environment
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4. Context Sensitive Solutions in Transportation
Human Context Planning, Environmental Analysis and Design
• The Socio-Economic Community
– Cultural resources
– Economic structure
– Social structure
– Public health
– Public spaces
– Recreational amenities
– Noise
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5. Context Sensitive Solutions in Transportation
Transportation Issues Planning, Environmental Analysis and Design
Human Environment
• Community • Land use planning
– Diversity – Existing development
– Neighborhoods – Fast paced new development
• Economic conditions – Zoning
– Income • Cultural resources
– Employment – Archaeological sites
– Mobility – Historical structures or sites
– Navigable waterways • Air quality
– Industries
• Noise
• Public facilities & services • Railroads
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6. Context Sensitive Solutions in Transportation
Transportation Issues Planning, Environmental Analysis and Design
Human Environment
• Technical Issues
– Traffic management
effectiveness
– Compatibility with regional
planning
– Emergency evacuation routes
– Cost-effective solution
• Public Involvement
– Meets public needs/perception
– Supported by local elected
officials
http://www.dansmithartist.com/Weekly-Cartoons/Hurricane-Preparedness-8-3-06.jpg
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7. Context Sensitive Solutions in Transportation
CIA – What is it? Planning, Environmental Analysis and Design
Community Impact Assessment
• Process to evaluate the effects of a transportation
action on a community and its quality of life
– integral part of project planning and development
– Shapes outcome of a project
– used continuously to mold the project
– documentation of current and anticipated social
environment of area with and without action
• Should include mobility, safety, employment
effects, relocation, isolation, and other issues
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8. Context Sensitive Solutions in Transportation
Why Use CIA? Planning, Environmental Analysis and Design
• Alerts affected communities and residents,
as well as transportation decisionmakers, to
the likely consequences of a project, and
ensures that human values and concerns
receive proper attention during project
development
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9. Context Sensitive Solutions in Transportation
Why Use CIA? Planning, Environmental Analysis and Design
• Quality of Life
• Responsive Decision-making
• Coordination
• Nondiscrimination
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10. Context Sensitive Solutions in Transportation
Impact Assessment Planning, Environmental Analysis and Design
•Economic development opportunities
•Regional development goals and plans
•Traffic congestion and safety
•Transit considerations
•Bicycle, pedestrian and greenway
considerations
•Accessibility and parking considerations
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11. Context Sensitive Solutions in Transportation
Impact Assessment Planning, Environmental Analysis and Design
•Business, institutional and residential
relocations and impacts
•Community stability and neighborhood cohesion
•Tax base changes, changes in employment
•Visual impacts
•Farmland impacts
•Scenic rivers and water supply watersheds
•Title VI and Environmental Justice
•Secondary/cumulative impacts
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12. Context Sensitive Solutions in Transportation
Environmental Justice Planning, Environmental Analysis and Design
“No person in the United States shall, on the ground
of race, color, or national origin be excluded from
participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be
subjected to discrimination under any program or
activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”
– Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
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13. Context Sensitive Solutions in Transportation
Environmental Justice Planning, Environmental Analysis and Design
Presidential Executive Order 12898 directed every Federal
agency to make environmental justice part of its mission by
identifying and addressing the effects of all programs, policies
and activities on “minority populations and low-income
populations.” The requirements of this Executive Order
extend to all recipients and subrecipients of Federal financial
assistance.
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14. Context Sensitive Solutions in Transportation
Environmental Justice Planning, Environmental Analysis and Design
Three fundamental principles of Environmental Justice (EJ)
1. To avoid, minimize or mitigate disproportionately high and
adverse human health and environmental effects, including
social and economic effects, on minority populations and
low-income populations.
2. To ensure the full and fair participation by all potentially
affected communities in the transportation decisionmaking
process.
3. To prevent the denial of, reduction in or significant delay
in the receipt of benefits by minority and low-income
populations.
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15. Context Sensitive Solutions in Transportation
Environmental Justice Planning, Environmental Analysis and Design
Applies to All Transportation Decisions
• Policy Decisions
• Systems Planning
• Metropolitan and Statewide Planning
• Project Development and Environmental Review under NEPA
• Preliminary Design
• Final Design Engineering
• Right of Way
• Construction
• Operations and Maintenance
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16. Context Sensitive Solutions in Transportation
Environmental Justice Planning, Environmental Analysis and Design
Regional Mobility Authorities (RMA) and Metropolitan
Planning Organizations (MPO) Roles
• RMAs are political subdivisions that can accelerate needed
transportation projects through the direction of a local
board making local choices about local mobility needs to
enhance the quality of life and economic growth of residents
within a region
• MPOs are primary forum where TxDOT, transit providers,
local agencies and the public develop local transportation
plans and programs that address a metropolitan area’s
needs. MPOs can help local public officials understand how
Title VI and environmental justice requirements improve
planning and decision making.
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17. Context Sensitive Solutions in Transportation
Environmental Justice Planning, Environmental Analysis and Design
Title VI Compliance and EJ
• Enhance their analytical capabilities to ensure that the
longrange transportation plans and the transportation
improvement program (TIP) documents comply with Title VI.
• Identify residential, employment and transportation patterns
of low-income and minority populations so that their needs
can be identified and addressed and the benefits and burdens
of transportation investments can be fairly distributed.
• Evaluate and, where necessary, improve their public
involvement processes to eliminate participation barriers and
engage minority and low income populations in
transportation decision making.
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18. Context Sensitive Solutions in Transportation
Environmental Justice Planning, Environmental Analysis and Design
Title VI Compliance and EJ – Transit Providers
• Ensure that new investments and changes in transit facilities,
services, maintenance and vehicle replacement deliver
equitable levels of service and benefits to minority and low-
income populations.
• Avoid, minimize or mitigate disproportionately high and
adverse effects on minority and low-income populations.
• Enhance public involvement activities to identify and address
the needs of minority and low-income populations in making
transportation decisions.
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19. Context Sensitive Solutions in Transportation
Environmental Justice Planning, Environmental Analysis and Design
Title VI Compliance and EJ – The Public
• Participate in public involvement activities (meetings,
hearings, advisory groups and task forces) to help responsible
state and local agencies understand community needs,
perceptions and goals.
• Get involved with state and local agencies to link SAFETEA-LU
programs with other federal, state and local resources to fund
projects that support community goals.
www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/ej2.htm
www.txdot.gov
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20. Context Sensitive Solutions in Transportation
Assessment Process Planning, Environmental Analysis and Design
Define the Project Study Area
• In coordination with engineers, develop
various project alternatives which satisfy the
project purpose and need, and identify areas
of potential impact
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21. Context Sensitive Solutions in Transportation
Assessment Process Planning, Environmental Analysis and Design
Develop a Community Profile
• Determine the characteristics of the
affected area, such as neighborhood
boundaries, locations of residences and
businesses, demographic information,
economic data, social history of
communities, and land use
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22. Context Sensitive Solutions in Transportation
Community Profile Planning, Environmental Analysis and Design
• Geographic and political location
• Race, ethnicity and age
• Income, poverty status and unemployment
• Business activity/employment centers
• Public facilities, schools and institutions
• Police, fire, EMS and public services
• Existing/future land uses and
present/future zoning
• Local/regional land use and/or
development plans
• Consistency with local/regional plans
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23. Context Sensitive Solutions in Transportation
Assessment Process Planning, Environmental Analysis and Design
Analyze Impacts
• Examine the impacts to the community of
the proposed action versus no action
• Identify and investigate the consequences of
the transportation action
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24. Context Sensitive Solutions in Transportation
Assessment Process Planning, Environmental Analysis and Design
Identify Solutions
• Identify and recommend potential solutions
to address adverse impacts
• Techniques include avoidance, minimization,
mitigation, and enhancement
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25. Context Sensitive Solutions in Transportation
Assessment Process Planning, Environmental Analysis and Design
Use Public Involvement
• Basis to develop project alternatives
• Source of information to develop the
community profile
• Tool to identify and evaluate impacts
• Method to identify acceptable ways to
address impacts
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26. Context Sensitive Solutions in Transportation
Assessment Process Planning, Environmental Analysis and Design
Document Findings
• In addition to oral presentations, present the
findings of the community impact
assessment in written form for use by
decisionmakers, to record findings, to
disseminate to interested parties, and to
support subsequent decisions
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27. Context Sensitive Solutions in Transportation
Assessment Process Planning, Environmental Analysis and Design
Iterative Process
• Communities are dynamic and constantly
changing. As options change, the analyst
must make appropriate re-evaluations and
adjustments in findings, particularly if there
are substantial time lapses in project
development.
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28. Context Sensitive Solutions in Transportation
Reading Assignment Planning, Environmental Analysis and Design
• Part 3 - FHWA, Flexibility in Highway Design, 1997
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/flex/
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29. Context Sensitive Solutions in Transportation
References Planning, Environmental Analysis and Design
• http://www.ciatrans.net/index.shtml
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