This paper describes an initiative of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, to improve public involvement in advising transportation and recreation projects. A methodology was developed and a demonstration project selected to implement the methodology. The proposed methodology was to identify the demographic characteristics of the community impacted by the proposed project. Outreach program performance would be measured by whether or not persons commenting on the proposed project were representative of the population served. For the purpose of the demonstration, three demographic characteristics were identified as represented in the community impacted by the demonstration project, but historically under-represented in Bernalillo County public meetings. The persons whose public involvement was tracked are those whose primary language is Spanish, persons with disabilities, and youth. To successfully engage persons with these characteristics required partner organizations with the capability to engage them. A partnership approach was adopted to reach out to the community served. The public involvement partnership was formed with a variety of governmental, private and non-governmental organizations. There was an increase in the diversity of the public involved in discussing the demonstration project. A benchmark was established for public involvement in future phases of the demonstration project, and for transportation projects in general. Building accountability into public outreach can improve the level of community participation in proposed transportation projects. An effective means of delivering an accountable outreach program is through partnerships. In the Bernalillo County experience, partner organizations should be as diverse as the public to be served.
Samenvatting