Our industry talked a lot about equity in 2020. We’re glad we did. Many of the conversations that were started or revisited last year were long overdue.
At the same time, we don’t want to be an organization that just talks about equity. It’s our responsibility to come up with practical ways to help our clients achieve more equitable outcomes in their projects.
In July 2020, Kittelson’s Innovation Kitchen-our internal R&D program-launched the Transportation Equity Challenge by asking our staff, “How can we achieve more equitable outcomes in our work?” The outcome of that challenge is the five ideas you see below. Each idea was developed by a self-assembled team of Kittelson staff, and refined through feedback from a client panel. Now, we’d like to share them with you.
Incorporating Urban Forensics into Projects
Read about a database for housing key cultural, historical, societal, and demographical aspects of projects. See Idea
A Framework to Reexamine Enforcement
A team from our California offices introduce a framework for thinking through the use of enforcement, and alternatives to enforcement, in reaching safety outcomes. See Idea
Simple Tools for ADA Ramp Construction
What does ramp construction have to do with equity? DJ Gregory and Andrew Bailey from Kittelson Tucson explain. See Idea
Essential Networks: Cultivating Trust-Based Relationships
A team from our Baltimore, Boston, and Orlando offices proposes a set of strategies to better leverage community relationships in our projects. See Idea
Child-Centered Engagement in Public Schools
Joceline Suhaimi, a transportation analyst who recently joined us out of UCLA, notes we often overlook a diverse yet influential audience in community engagement. See Idea
About the Innovation Kitchen
The Innovation Kitchen is Kittelson’s idea incubator designed to foster a culture of innovation and lead to new and improved products and services that benefit our staff, clients, communities, and profession. The Innovation Kitchen Committee works with team members across Kittelson who submit ideas, helping them develop and advance their ideas to implementation.
Want to learn more? Contact Senior Principal Planner Gibran Hadj-Chikh.
Steal, Share, or Add to These Ideas!
We’d love to collaborate! Post your thoughts on any of these ideas, or another idea for advancing equity in transportation, to social media with the hashtag #TransportationEquityChallenge.