Anyone who’s ever been responsible for a long-range
transportation plan (been there, done that, no t-shirt) will appreciate the
difficulty of gaining stakeholder and public involvement and ensuring that the
“message” of the plan is communicated back through those stakeholders and (to
at least some extent) the broader public.
Communication is vital to effectiveness.
One of the agencies that does this best is the Delaware
Valley Regional Planning Commission, the MPO for the greater Philadelphia area
(full disclosure: I am a long-time partner of DVRPC, wearing various hats, and
currently serve on the Futures Group).
I recommend you watch their new 5-minute video (here), which
does a great job of telling the story of the region’s long-range plan in a simple
narrative with vivid images. Note
particularly how the video involves key local elected officials, agency heads,
and stakeholders as storytellers, often speaking to the parts of the story that
are most salient to their constituencies or expertise (e.g., PennDOT Secretary
Leslie Richards speaks to funding challenges, including the future of the gas
tax; Montgomery county commission chair Valerie Arkoosh, who is a doctor by
profession, speaks to healthy communities; Camden mayor Frank Moran, whose city
has a major poverty problem, speaks to the need for inclusive economic
development).
Well done, DVRPC.
Oh, the other challenge for long-range planners: now that the 2045 long-range plan is in
the can, it’s time to start working on 2050!
No comments:
Post a Comment