Title VI and Environmental Justice

Planning must be done with the involvement and for the benefit of all the region's residents. DVRPC is guided by federal Title VI and environmental justice mandates, and the Commission strives to not only meet these mandates, but to create an overall transparent, inclusive planning process. As the metropolitan planning organization (MPO) for the nine-county region, DVRPC is committed to making Title VI and environmental justice a part of our planning process, integrated in all our programs and plans, and a guide for our public participation efforts. On the horizon, we see a Delaware Valley with an enhanced quality of life and a healthful environment for all of its residents.

Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act states that "no person in the United States, shall, on the grounds of race, color, or national origin be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.

DVRPC, as the MPO for the Delaware Valley region, serves as the primary forum where state departments of transportation, transit providers, local agencies, and the public work together to develop local transportation plans and programs that address the region's needs. To meet the requirements of Title VI, the Commission must:

Enhance its analytical capabilities to ensure that the Long-Range Plan and the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) comply with Title VI;
Identify residential, employment, and transportation patterns of low-income and minority populations so that their needs may be identified and addressed, and the benefits and burdens of transportation can be fairly distributed; and
Evaluate and, where necessary, improve the public involvement process to eliminate barriers and engage minority, disabled, elderly, and low-income populations in regional decision-making.

Environmental Justice

The federal government defines environmental justice as, "the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies." Fair treatment means that no group of people, including a racial, ethnic, or socioeconomic group, should bear a disproportionate share of the negative environmental consequences resulting from industrial, municipal, and commercial operations or the execution of federal, state, local, and tribal programs and policies.

Title VI Compliance Plan

In January 2007, the DVRPC Board approved the Commission's Title VI Compliance Plan, which establishes a framework for DVRPC's efforts to ensure compliance with Title VI, as well as with other environmental justice and nondiscrimination mandates.

The Plan outlines how Title VI and environmental justice considerations are reflected in the Commission's Work Program, publications, communications, public involvement efforts, and our general way of doing business.

DVRPC is currently updating its Title VI Compliance Plan.

Title VI Compliance Plan

Title VI Complaint Procedure and Form [0.1 MB .pdf]

Environmental Justice Analysis

Interactive Web Map and Data Application

Use this interactive map to view and identify Environmental Justice (EJ) sensitive areas within the DVRPC region. Review Degree of Disadvantage (DOD) analysis, 2010 Census tract level population and household demographics, as well as download Census tract level data.
(Last Updated: January 2013)

Environmental Justice Quick Reference Guide

[2.1 MB pdf]

This guide provides a brief overview of DVRPC's Degrees of Disadvantage Methodology, and how EJ and Title VI can be addressed in a planning process.

EJ Maps

As the MPO for the nine-county region, DVRPC is charged with evaluating plans and programs for environmental justice (EJ) sensitivity. This process includes:

examining the allocation of benefits and burdens, both for the current context and for the planned future;
ensuring that minority and low-income communities are treated equitably in the provision of transportation services and projects; and
providing ample opportunity for full participation for minority and low-income communities to advise the MPO during its planning and decision-making process.

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and the Executive Order on Environmental Justice (#12898) do not provide specific guidance to evaluate EJ issues within a region's transportation planning process. Therefore, MPOs must devise their own methods for ensuring that EJ issues are investigated and evaluated in transportation decision-making. In 2001, DVRPC developed an EJ technical assessment to identify direct and disparate impacts of its plans, programs, and planning process on defined population groups in the Delaware Valley region. This assessment, called the Degrees of Disadvantage (DoD) Methodology, is utilized in a variety of DVRPC plans and programs.

Using U.S. Census data, a snapshot of the region is created, mapping the locations of identified EJ populations. The current list of populations identified by DVRPC's DoD methodology are:

non-Hispanic minority;
Hispanic;
Limited English Proficiency (LEP);
persons with a physical disability;
elderly over 75 years of age;
carless households;
female head of household with child; and
households in poverty.

Broadly speaking, DVRPC's methodology:

identifies the impacted groups;
locates them in the region;
plots key destinations — such as employment or health care locations — that these population groups would access;
overlays these destinations with the region's existing and proposed transportation network; and
determines what transportation service gaps exist for these disadvantaged groups.

Environmental Justice at DVRPC

Background on and a full definition of the DoD Methodology, as well as an overview and highlights of DVRPC Title VI and EJ activities are included in Environmental Justice at DVRPC, a report created by DVRPC staff every fiscal year. Descriptions for each project or program that utilize DVRPC's DoD Methodology are discussed, including a TIP analysis and corridor studies. Additional Title VI staff education and public participation efforts are also included in the report.

Copies of the report are available as PDF below:

Planner's Methodology

DVRPC has developed a Planner's Methodology, which is designed to provide guidance to staff in meeting Title VI and EJ mandates and structuring a public participation plan at the project or study level. How meaningful public participation is gathered and implemented into a planning process may differ widely, depending on the type and scope of the project. The Planner's Methodology sets a framework for developing individual public participation plans for specific projects, offers a "tool kit" of public participation strategies, and offers instruction on how to utilize DVRPC's DoD methodology, as well as an overview of Title VI and EJ mandates. Overall, the Planner's Methodology builds upon DVRPC's philosophy and intent to place public participation, Title VI, and EJ at the forefront of the Commission's priorities.

Planner's Methodology [0.1 MB .pdf]