What Does Meaningful Community Engagement Look Like in Massachusetts?

August 20, 2024

What words or feelings immediately come to mind when you think of a public meeting?

If words like long, confusing, or inaccessible rise to the top, you’re not alone. As graduate students pursuing degrees in planning, we’re all too aware of the challenges associated with public engagement processes. Sometimes it can feel like the meeting is simply checking a box, and not truly engaging the community in which the proposed idea or plan is going to impact.

We sought out to really dig into this process in Massachusetts—looking carefully about how the Commonwealth incorporates (or not) meaningful community engagement into transportation planning and policy.

The US Department of Transportation defines meaningful community engagement as, “A process that proactively seeks full representation from the community, considers public comments and feedback, and incorporates that feedback into a project, program, or plan when possible.”

Conducting meaningful community engagement processes within transportation projects and plans is vital for fostering inclusive decision making and promoting connected communities. Environmental justice populations, including low-income communities and communities of color, have been historically excluded from decision making processes, resulting in their needs not being met or prioritized.

Read the full story here.