Building Better Project Outcomes Through Equitable Engagement
Cathy LaFata and John Mitchell Share Insights on the Evolution of Public Outreach with ITE Journal
Public participation has long been part of transportation projects, but the practice of community engagement has shifted significantly since the first definitions of environmental justice in the United States decades ago. Spurred by a new executive order in April 2023, gathering input from communities is now often more meaningful than in the past. More than checking a box, public outreach has become a way to incorporate communities into decision-making and foster trust throughout the project life cycle.
Cathy LaFata and John Mitchell shared their experience with community engagement and detailed recent shifts in the practice in the November 2024 issue of ITE Journal, the publication of the Institute of Transportation Engineers. LaFata is our transportation equity director and has been leading environmental justice projects for 30 years. Mitchell is an equity and engagement communications strategies, dedicated to providing authentic stakeholder engagement on projects. The two described the recent changes in public outreach and shared examples from completed and ongoing projects.
“As environmental justice has shifted, so has the community engagement that goes hand in hand,” the two wrote in their article. “It now emphasizes community input and collaborative problem-solving, fostering an inclusive atmosphere where solutions are tailored to the specific needs and aspirations of communities.”
Read the whole article, “Beyond the Checked Box: Better Projects Start with Equitable Engagement,” republished here with permission. © Institute of Transportation Engineers.
