LATE STAGE At the late stage of a program lifecycle, agencies are planning back from a goal build date to finalize design and construction plans. Equitable approaches and decisions from previous stages should be retained as public anticipation peaks. This stage may also come with some challenges like considerations previously on the fringe or deferred coming to the forefront. Common Gaps Bridge the Gap
Design departs from plans produced in the middle stage in ways that affect equitable outcomes.
Require planning and engineering feasibility in the middle stage to reduce unknown feasibility conflicts in design.
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• Reengage the equity team and planners, not usually part of design, to collaborate on concessions for unavoidable feasibility conflicts. • Require an inventory of permits and similar approvals, and review of their terms, in advance so that compliance doesn’t unduly compromise the plans for the sake of expediency. • Seek and adopt policies and incentives to set expectations for private parties and their social responsibility to participate in the project. • If an equitable outcome is compromised, engage the equity team to identify alternatives to meet an equity goal or community vision. • Engage the small business community in advance to understand consequences like reduced patronage and revenue. • Engage agency stakeholders in solutions to travel time changes by mode on affected roadways and routes. • Engage agency stakeholders in traffic, pedestrian and bike safety solutions in detour hot spots.
Private funding through new development may be needed to supplement public funding to manifest the project, inviting additional political power and influence over outcomes in exchange for the funding.
Construction impacts are not well communicated to the public and local stakeholders, and assumptions may be made about the nature of the impacts (e.g. inconvenient impacts rather than consequential impacts).
HOW INDIVIDUALS CAN SUPPORT & SUSTAIN EQUITY The individuals on the Stitch, regardless of the different firms, agencies, or organizations they represent, play their own role in the program’s ability to achieve equitable outcomes based on their day-to-day attitudes, behaviors, and communication. Supporting equity also requires personal skills often not discussed or required in professional settings, like empathy, self-reflection, creativity, curiosity, and initiative. These characteristics can enhance an individual’s approach to their work. For example, data analysis is a staple of the planning process. However, the data that is sourced, how it is interpreted, and awareness of its limitations, can and should be informed by these characteristics to understand more than what a status quo approach would yield. Individuals also empower each other and foster a culture of
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