Early, effective, and continuous public involvement brings diverse viewpoints and values into the decision-making process. Transportation agencies can increase meaningful public involvement in planning and project development by integrating virtual tools into their overall public involvement approach. Public involvement tools and practices have expanded and shifted dramatically over the past decade due to changes in communications, technology, and lifestyles. Transportation professionals cannot expect the public to come to the transportation agency's events; practitioners must reach them in their everyday lives–online, at home, and in chosen gathering spaces.
RECENT WEBINARS. FHWA has been holding webinars on VPI topics:
- Engaging Traditionally Underserved Communities describes considerations and strategies for engaging traditionally underserved populations when using VPI tools; a discussion of public meetings and NEPA-required public hearings for underserved communities; and includes a questions and answer session.
- Public Involvement Management Application Innovations highlights VPI initiatives taken by several state DOTs (Iowa, Massachussetts, Maine).
- Iowa DOT's Public Involvement Management Application (PIMA)
- Online Meetings
- Project Visualizations
- Extending Our Reach Videos Release
- View all recent VPI Webinars here
CASE STUDIES. FHWA has developed video case studies that highlight how transportation agencies are using virtual public involvement tools and techniques. This video series features short conversations with professionals involved in virtual public involvement efforts at their respective agencies. Agencies and topics featured in the Case Studies video are listed below.
- Virginia DOT
- Institutionalizing VPI
- VPI Strategies for Planning, Project Development, and Environmental Review
- Alaska DOT & PF
- Virtual Meetings
- Social Media
- Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Videos
- Michigan DOT with Kari Martin
- Virtual Meetings
- Online Surveys
- Institutionalizing VPI
- Michigan DOT with Brad Sharlow
- Online Surveys
- Accessibility
- Telephone Town Halls
- Reaching Rural Communities
- Indianapolis MPO
- Online Surveys
- Do-it-Yourself Videos
- Online Meetings through Social Media
- Corvallis Area Metropolitan Planning Organization
- Virtual Open Houses
- Bilingual Resources
- Low-Cost VPI Strategies
- Georgia DOT
- Institutionalizing VPI
- VPI Strategies for Project Development and Environmental Review
- Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning
- Using VPI to Engage with Diverse Communities
- Institutionalizing VPI
WORKSHOPS. FHWA has been hosting in-person and online peer exchange workshops to provide a forum for sharing VPI strategies and practices. These peer exchanges bring experienced and less-experienced peers together to present and discuss their approaches to using specific VPI strategies. Various topics have touched upon project visualizations, online meetings, engaging traditionally underserved populations, and crowdsourcing approaches. The FHWA typically provides workshop summary reports, recordings, and other resources for each event.