From Engaging to People-Centered Inclusion

I-270 in North St. Louis is one of the heaviest traveled interstates in Missouri. With approximately 140,000 vehicles travelling daily, it offers limited pedestrian facilities, an aging infrastructure, and various challenges related to overall safety and reliability of the entire transportation network. The I-270 North Project aims to improve mobility and overcome obstacles faced by local users and interstate travelers. It was essential for the project team to heavily engage people in the community, strengthening their credibility and presence, and prioritizing inclusion to uplift members’ voices regarding the project.

The Missouri Department of Transportation facilitated ongoing opportunities for the public to share project information to gain support of members in the community. This session will give an overview of how to implement award-winning, creative, and innovative strategies that improved traffic management, addressed COVID-19 limitations, and helped build long-term community ownership and buy-in of the work. We will highlight the best practices for effective public engagement, how to remain consistently active in the community through media and other avenues, and detail ways to build a community’s trust.

Takeaways:

You will leave this session with an understanding of:

• Gaining effective public engagement that goes beyond information distribution to true involvement in the project;
• Modelling strategies based on your audience and give members a public voice;
• and building trust and credibility in your community