Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

Public involvement is defined as a two-way communication aimed at providing information to the public and incorporating the views, concerns, and issues of the public in transportation decision making. According to U.S. Census data, 60% of U.S. counties are considered rural. Rural communities face unique challenges such as scarce resources, technological and geographical issues, and demographic shifts, which can limit effective engagement capabilities. Engagement strategies that are effective for urbanized and metropolitan areas may not be as effective for these rural communities. This study employed a mixed methods research approach to identify readily deployable practices for meaningful rural community engagement in transportation planning. The research methodology involves a literature review, interviews with supervisors from offices of community transportation, interviews with 24 community leaders in four case communities in Tennessee, and two rounds of Delphi community survey. The research process brought together all key stakeholders to build a true consensus of best practices to engage rural communities in transportation planning. Data analysis showed rural communities feel detached and unaware of the role of Departments of Transportation (DOT) in and their plans for community transportation. Engaging rural communities using social media and conducting virtual meetings can reach wider sections of the community. Lack of consistent internet coverage in rural communities, however, means this type of outreach cannot replace in-person engagement. Securing the support of community leaders, building partnerships, and having a presence in the community will increase trust in DOTs and foster better engagement. A list of recommendations is provided that will enhance rural community engagement for long-range transportation planning in predominantly rural states.

Keywords

planning and analysis transportation planning policy and processes long-range plan regional planning public transportation rural intercity bus and specialized transportation communication communities

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

American Public Transportation Association. Rural Communities Expanding Horizons: The Benefits of Public Transportation, 2012. https://www.apta.com/wp-content/uploads/Resources/resources/reportsandpublications/Documents/Rural-Communities-APTA-White-Paper.pdf. Accessed April 7, 2021.

Berg

Ihlström

The Importance of Public Transport for Mobility and Everyday Activities among Rural Residents. Social Sciences, Vol. 8, No. 2, 58. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci8020058.

FHWA. Highway Statistics, Table HM-60. Office of Highway Information Management, Washington, D.C., 2018.

U.S. Department of Transportation. Rural Opportunities to Use Transportation for Economic Success (ROUTES), 2021. https://www.transportation.gov/rural. Accessed April 12, 2021.

Slotterback

C. S.

Public Involvement in Transportation Project Planning and Design. Journal of Architectural and Planning Research, Vol. 27, No. 2, 2010, pp. 144–162.

Farazmand

Sound Governance: Engaging Citizens Through Collaborative Organizations. Public Organization Review, Vol. 12, 2012, pp. 223–241.

Dickman

Kack

Nothstine

Small Town and Rural Multimodal Networks. FHWA-HEP-17-024. FHWA, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, D.C., 2016.

Casello

J. M.

Towns

Bélanger

Kassiedass

Public Engagement in Public Transportation Projects: Challenges and Recommendations. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 2019. 2537: 88–95.

23 CFR 771.111. Early Coordination, Public Involvement, and Project Development, 2009. https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/granule/CFR-2011-title23-vol1/CFR-2011-title23-vol1-sec771-111. Accessed May 24, 2021.

10.

FHWA. Public Involvement Techniques for Transportation Decision Making. FHWA-HEP-15-044. FHWA, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, D.C., 2015.

11.

FHWA. Why Is Rural Planning Treated Separately? 2018. https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/processes/rural/. Accessed May 2, 2021.

12.

Ratcliffe

Burd

Holder

Fields

Defining Rural at the U.S. Census Bureau. ACSGEO-1. U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, D.C., 2016.

13.

FHWA. Planning for Transportation in Rural Areas. Dye Management Group Inc. Bellevue, WA, 2001.

14.

23 USC 135. Statewide and Nonmetropolitan Transportation Planning, 2012. https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?hl=false&edition=prelim&req=granuleid%3AUSC-prelim-title23-section135&num=0&saved=%7CZ3JhbnVsZWlkOlVTQy1wcmVsaW0tdGl0bGUyMy1zZWN0aW9uMTM0%7C%7C%7C0%7Cfalse%7Cprelim. Accessed January 16, 2022.

15.

US Census Bureau. Rural America, 2021. https://mtgis-portal.geo.census.gov/arcgis/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=49cd4bc9c8eb444ab51218c1d5001ef6. Accessed May 17, 2021.

16.

Wagner

Measuring Performance of Public Engagement in Transportation Planning: Three Best Principles. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Reserach Board, 2013. 2397: 38–44.

17.

Henning-Smith

Evenson

Corbett

Kozhimannil

Moscovice

Rural Transportation: Challenges and Opportunities [Policy Brief]. University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center, Minneapolis, MN, 2017.

18.

EBP. Access in Appalachia Concept and Methodologies. Final Report. Appalachian Regional Commission, Washington, D.C., 2020.

19.

Foursquare

ITP

. Public Transportation in Appalachia – Inventory and Assessment. Appalachian Regional Commission, Washington, D.C., 2020.

20.

Kumfer

Harmon

Lan

Yudan

Goodwin

Srinivasan

Vann

Traffic Safety in Appalachia. Appalachian Regional Commission, Washington, D.C., 2021.

21.

Mattson

, Transportation, Distance, and Health Care Utilization for Older Adults in Rural and Small Urban Areas. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 2011. 2265: 192–199.

22.

Hansen

Newbold

K. B.

Scott

D. M.

Vrkljan

Grenier

Huang

Rural Ageing and Transportation. In Rural Gerontology ( Dixit

S. K.

ed.), 1st ed. Routledge, The Netherlands, 2020, p. 12.

23.

Federal Communications Commission. Communications Marketplace Report. GN Docket No. 18-231, FCC 18-181. FCC, Washington, D.C., 2018, p. 131. https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-18-181A1.pdf.

24.

Pew Research Center. Internet/Broadband Fact Sheet, 2018. http://www.pewinternet.org/factsheet/internet-broadband/

25.

U.S. Department of Commerce. The State of the Urban/Rural Digital Divide, National Telecommunications and Information Administration, 2016. https://www.ntia.doc.gov/blog/2016/state-urbanruraldigital-divide

26.

Anderson

Mobile Technology and Home Broadband 2019. Pew Research Center, Washington, D.C., 2019. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2019/06/13/mobile-technology-and-home-broadband-2019/. Accessed January 15, 2022.

27.

Pew Research Center. What Unites and Divides Urban, Suburban and Rural Communities, 2018. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/08/19/some-digital-divides-persist-between-rural-urban-and-suburban-america/. Accessed January 15, 2022.

28.

Laska

Bellis

Rural Communities Need Better Transportation Policy. Third Way, September 13, 2021. https://www.thirdway.org/memo/rural-communities-need-better-transportation-policy.

29.

USDA. Rural Transportation Infrastructure: Information and Guidance, 2020. https://www.rd.usda.gov/sites/default/files/508_RD_CFRuralTransportation_Guide916193.pdf.

30.

Owens

Engaging the Public: Information and Deliberation in Environmental Policy. Environment and planning A: Economy and Space, Vol. 32, 2000, pp. 1141–1148. https://doi.org/10.1068/a3330.

31.

Morris

Fragala

NCHRP Synthesis 407: Effective Public Involvement Using Limited Resources. Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C., 2010.

32.

O’Connor

Schwartz

Schaad

Boyd

State of the Practice: White Paper on Public Involvement. Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C., 2000.

33.

Barron

Peck

Venner

Malley

W. G.

2013. Potential Use of Social Media Impact in the NEPA Process. NCHRP Project 25-25, Task 80. Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C., 2013.

34.

Salerno

Sanchez

Tomasello

Metz

NCHRP Synthesis 538: Practices for Online Public Involvement. Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C., 2019.

35.

Tennessee Department of Transportation. Public Involvement Plan. A Statewide Transportation Public Participation Guide, 2013. https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/tdot/documents/government-how-do-i-documents/pip.pdf. Accessed January 24, 2022.

36.

North Carolina Department of Transportation. Public Engagement Toolkit, Connect NCDOT, 2020. https://connect.ncdot.gov/projects/toolkit/Pages/default.aspx. Accessed January 25, 2022.

37.

Georgia Department of Transportation. Public Involvement Plan for Georgia DOT Projects, 2021. http://www.dot.ga.gov/PartnerSmart/DesignManuals/Environmental/Public%20Involvement%20Plan/PublicInvolvementPlan.pdf. Accessed January 25, 2022.

38.

Maine Department of Transportation. Public Involvement in Transportation Decision Making, 2021. https://www.maine.gov/mdot/planning/docs/2021/pipdraft-02012021.pdf. Accessed January 25, 2022.

39.

MDT. Non-Metropolitan Local Official Participation Process, 2020. https://www.mdt.mt.gov/publications/docs/manuals/consultation-process.pdf. Accessed January 26, 2022.

40.

Bolin

J. N.

Bellamy

G. R.

Ferdinand

A. O.

Vuong

A. M.

Kash

B. A.

Schulze

Helduser

J. W.

Rural Healthy People 2020: New Decade, Same Challenges. Journal of Rural Health, Vol. 31, No. 3, 2015, pp. 326–333. https://doi.org/10.1111/jrh.12116.

41.

Smith M.

Prohaska

T. R.

MacLeod

K. E.

Ory

M. G.

Eisenstein

A. R.

Ragland

D. R.

Irmiter

Towne

S. D.

Satariano

W. A.

Non-Emergency Medical Transportation Needs of Middle-Aged and Older Adults: A Rural-Urban Comparison in Delaware, USA. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Vol. 14, No. 2, 2017, p. 174. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14020174.

42.

Thiede

Greiman

Weiler

Conroy

The Divide Between Rural and Urban America, 2017. http://theconversation.com/six-charts-that-illustrate-the-divide-between-rural-and-urban-america-72934. Accessed May 25, 2021.

43.

Anderson

Perrin

Tech Adoption Climbs Among Older Adults. Pew Research Center, Washington, D.C., 2015.

44.

TN.gov. Rural Areas, 2018. https://www.tn.gov/health/cedep/environmental/healthy-places/healthy-places/land-use/lu/rural-areas.html. Accessed March 29, 2021.

45.

Linstone

H. A.

Turoff

The Delphi Method – Techniques and Applications, 1st ed. Addison Wesley Publishing, Reading, MA, 1975.

46.

Fish

L. S.

Busby

D. M.

The Delphi Method. In Research Methods in Family Therapy ( Sprenkle

D. H.

Moon

S. M.

eds.), The Guilford Press, New York, NY, 1996.

47.

Rowe

Wright

Bolger

The Delphi Technique: Past, Present, and Future Prospects—Introduction to the Special Issue. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Vol. 78, No. 9, 2011, pp. 1478–1490.

48.

Gupta

U.G.

Clarke

R. E.

Theory and Applications of the Delphi Technique: A Bibliography (1975–1994). Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Vol. 53, 1996, pp. 185–211.

49.

Ferri

C. P.

Prince

Brayne

Brodaty

Fratiglioni

Ganguli

Hall

, et al. Alzheimers Disease International, Global Prevalence of Dementia: A Delphi Consensus Study. Lancet, Vol. 366, 2005, pp. 2112–2117.

50.

Brancheau

J. C.

Janz

B. D.

Wetherbe

J. C.

Key Issues in Information Systems Management: 1994–95 SIM Delphi Results. MIS Quarterly, Vol. 20, 1996, pp. 225–242.

51.

Broomfield

Humphris

G. M.

Using the Delphi Technique to Identify the Cancer Education Requirements of General Practitioners. Medical Education, Vol. 35, 2001, pp. 928–937.

52.

Keeney

Hasson

McKenna

Consulting the Oracle: Ten Lessons From Using the Delphi Technique in Nursing Research. Journal of Advanced Nursing, Vol. 53, 2006, pp. 205–212.

53.

Christina Vogel

Stephen Zwolinsky

Griffiths

Hobbs

Emily Henderson

Wilkins

A Delphi Study to Build Consensus on the Definition and Use of Big Data in Obesity Research International. Journal of Obesity, Vol. 43, 2019, pp. 2573–2586.

54.

Meijering

J. V.

Kampen

J. K.

Tobi

Quantifying the Development of Agreement Among Experts in Delphi Studies. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Vol. 80, No. 8, 2013, pp. 1607–1614.

55.

Data USA, 2022. https://datausa.io/. Accessed January 28, 2022.

Supplementary Material

Please find the following supplemental material available below.

For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.

For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.

0.00 MB

0.64 MB