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MA/PhD Theses Abstracts of Current Students & Alumni |
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Chen, Baichan. 1996. PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT IN TRANSPORTATION PLANNING: PREPARING THE TRANSIT DEVELOPMENT PLAN IN CHARLOTTE COUNTY, FLORIDA.
Abstract: Public involvement requirements
have been part of government programs for at least 20 years, pursuant
to federal regulations such as the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA), the Clean Air Act (CM), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA),
and the Federal Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA).
Public participation in the development process is based on the idea
that popular influence on decision making will lead to policies and programs
developed in favor of community needs and aspirations. However, mass
public participation can, in fact, lead to extremism unless it is well-organized
and carefully planned. An important reason is that responsible planning
personnel at all levels of government find it difficult to select appropriate
citizen participation strategies for their particular situations. The
ethnically mixed community presents a special challenge to professional
planners. This challenge, on the other hand, may be a good opportunity
for applied anthropologists who are particularly equipped and well-suited
to contribute their expertise. This thesis explores the public involvement
process in transportation planning and the ways in which anthropological
knowledge can be and has been used to facilitate that process. The concept
of public involvement is examined through a historical review of the
innovation and development of a participatory approach in Arnerican government.
Various public involvement techniques are addressed with both their applications
and limits. The utilization of anthropological knowledge in participatory
planning is discussed. The Charlotte County transit development project
is used as a case study in how a planning agency interacts with the
general public. Project tasks are evaluated to determine the effectiveness
of the public involvement strategy. Foremost, my role as an applied anthropologist
in that project is examined as to what anthropology can contribute
to the public involvement process in transportation planning. When combined
with the skills of planning, applied anthropological concepts and research
methods are especially effective to articulate various factors involved
in the complex planning context and function to encourage public involvement.
As a result, the quality of planning activities is improved. The conclusion
of this thesis is not only that participatory planning can benefit
from applied anthropology, but also that both professional planners and
anthropologists can join to generate a more effective public involvement
strategy which would turn the obligation of participation into a productive
part of the transportation planning process.
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