Author: WalkBoston With Assistance from the Metropolitan Area Planning Council and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
Sponsoring Agency: Federal Transit Administration, Livable Communities Program
Date of Publication: 1998
Abstract:
This report is written for ordinary citizens—not necessarily for
transportation or urban planning officials—who advocate for public transit and
walking. It illustrates key steps that activists can take to ensure that mass
transit supports community needs and creates livable communities through
improved pedestrian access. The authors present their personal experiences in
case studies that detail advocacy techniques and strategies. They also identify
some failures or setbacks. The report discusses several public transit modes
(e.g., bus, light rail, and subway) used in different kinds of communities
(low-income urban neighborhoods, upper- and middle-income inner suburb). The
authors are members of WalkBoston, a nonprofit organization that promotes
walking and transit as means of transportation. Our case studies are drawn from transit projects in greater Boston. Two of
the four case studies deal with the ways advocates reacted to two issues:
pedestrian fatalities on a busy street and a threatened street-widening project,
initiated by public agencies, which would hinder pedestrian access to a major
transit station. A third case study describes a project that evolved from
contention into collaboration between neighborhoods and the transit agency, and
ultimately transformed areas of Boston into desirable, livable communities. The
fourth case study deals with a proactive effort on the part of WalkBoston to
increase bus ridership by creating bus stops that are attractive, easy to walk
to, and contain crucial bus route information. All four illustrate that advocates for transit and livable communities are
the agents of change. Many times people in bureaucracies want to institute
change, but are unable to do so. They look to advocates to suggest the
outrageous, to get media coverage, to create a stir. Back in their offices,
these public officials can point to your advocacy as political pressure that
demands a response. They want you to come to public meetings, to write letters,
to criticize. Your advocacy is vital to the success of public officials who want
to innovate and create. WalkBoston hopes these case studies will encourage you to see what can be
done and what methods can be used to bring about change.
No.
of Pages: 76
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