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Environmental Justice Chronicle In This Issue: DVRPC Sponsors 2004 Environmental Justice / Public Involvement Conference DVRPC will sponsor its first Environmental Justice / Public Involvement Conference, to be held on September 29th - 30th 2004, at the Philadelphia Convention Center. Focusing on the topics of Environmental Justice and Public Involvement in the Transportation Industry, this conference will train attendees on effective public involvement techniques and provide an opportunity for attendees to obtain Title VI training as well. Whether you are a planner, Civil Rights professional, or work on behalf of community groups, this conference is for you Like most conferences this one aims to validate what you already know, provide a forum to discuss our success and failures, and to allow valuable networking opportunities. For further information, contact Kendall Miller, Manager of Public Involvement at 215.238.2871 or kmiller@dvrpc.org Job Access and Reverse Commute (JARC) The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) has opened a public comment period for the Draft Areawide Job Access and Reverse Commute (JARC) Transportation Plan Update - Improving Access to Opportunities in the Delaware Valley Region. The JARC program helps to fund transportation services and supporting activities that facilitate access to jobs for welfare and lower income persons, as well as reverse commute trips for the general population. It is DVRPC's role as the metropolitan planning organization (MPO) to select project applicants, evaluate the consistency of proposed projects with an adopted Areawide (Regional) Job Access and Reverse Commute Transportation Plan, and add projects to the regional Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), pending grant approvals. Over the past two years, through the Job Access project, DVRPC's staff has reviewed and updated the adopted Plan to incorporate new concepts and ideas, to include currently approved projects and program funding levels, and to evaluate the plan principles and strategy that provide the foundation for project consistency reviews. The outcome of staff reviews as well as a series of focus group meetings has been incorporated into the current Draft Plan Update. Two public meetings were scheduled to hear comments regarding the Draft Plan Update. Copies of the Draft Plan Update can be view on DVRPC's website (www.dvrpc.org), in the DVRPC library located at 111 South Independence Mall East, Bourse Building 8th Floor, Philadelphia PA or at various libraries throughout the region. Written comments and questions should be addressed to: JARC Comments, c/o DVRPC Public Affairs Office, 111 South Independence Mall East, Bourse Building 8th Floor, Philadelphia PA 19106; or faxed to 215.592.9125; or emailed to csnyder@dvrpc.org All comments must be received by Friday, August 9th, 2004 at 5pm Eastern Time. Environmental Leadership Program Offers Fellowships The Environmental Leadership Program (ELP) invites applications for the ELP Fellowship Class of 2005- 2006. The ELP Fellowship is an innovative national program dedicated to training and supporting a diverse network of action-oriented emerging environmental leaders from the United States, U.S. Territories, and Freely Associated States. The ELP Fellowship provides training, project funding and a vibrant peer network to 20-25 individuals each year engaged in environmental and social change work. ELP fellows come from nonprofit's, businesses, government, tribal government, and higher education, and include activists, artists, writers, lawyers, policy makers, entrepreneurs, and scientists. ELP is committed to fostering a reflective, diverse environmental movement capable of responding to our complex social and environmental challenges. The ELP Fellowship provides an opportunity for talented individuals to have a unique and substantial impact on environmental and social change through collaboration with other emerging leaders. We define emerging professionals as individuals with approximately three to ten years of work experience. We define "environmental" broadly to include public health, transportation policy and planning, economic development, and broad-based community organizing. The two-year fellowship offers unique networking opportunities, intensive leadership and skills training, access to project seed money, travel and accommodations for four fellowship retreats, national recognition, and time for personal and professional reflection. For further information on the Environmental Leadership Program, contact the ELP Fellowship office at 413.268.0035 or visit their website at http://www.elpnet.org Transportation and Community Development Initiative Program (TCDI) Aids Communities The Transportation and Community Development Initiative is a funding program introduced in 2002 and administered by DVRPC to help carry out the objectives of DVRPC's Horizons 2025, the regional plan for the nine-county Delaware Valley area. The purpose of the program is to support local planning projects that will help reverse the trends of disinvestments and decline in many of the region's core cities and first generation suburbs. The reimbursement grants may be used for early stage planning, feasibility analyses, market studies, economic analyses, site design and preliminary project design. For Fiscal Year 2004, the third and current funding round for this program, up to $1,500,000 has been allocated for the TCDI grant program: $1,000,000 in Pennsylvania and $500,000 in New Jersey. Eligibility for application is based upon areas that have been identified by previous DVRPC reports as being socially or economically disadvantaged. The environmental justice technical reports, "…and Justice for All": DVRPC's Strategy for Fair Treatment and Meaningful Involvement of All People and its subsequent updates, were primary sources in determining census tracts that hold two or more "degrees of disadvantage" relative to the regional average (poverty rates, non-Hispanic minorities, Hispanics, elderly, transit dependent, disabled, limited English-proficiency, and female-headed households with children). Several communities that were classified as "revitalizing centers" in Horizons 2025 as priority areas for reinvestment are also eligible for TCDI funding. In all cases, only those areas that are appropriate for future growth or redevelopment are included. For multi-municipal projects, it is not essential that all areas included in the proposed project are TCDI eligible areas, but the application must provide a documentation of need for the area as a whole. All eligible municipalities received the program guidelines at the end of May. These guidelines are also located on the DVRPC Website http://www.dvrpc.org/planning/tcdi.htm where detailed information on eligible census tracts and communities, eligible activities, funding round timetable, evaluation criteria and application requirements are provided. DVRPC has two forums for your involvement in our process:
Building Blocks for Inclusive Communities National Conference Sponsored by a Fund for An OPEN Society, the Building Blocks for Inclusive Communities will focus on creating communities of choice for all people. It is one of the few national conferences, which will bring together leaders, experts, and advocates who are committed to creating and sustaining racially and ethnically diverse, economically thriving communities. Sponsored bi-annually by a Fund for an OPEN Society, a non-profit organization with a mission of promoting racially and ethnically integrated communities, Building Blocks provides the opportunity for community leaders, fair housing advocates, elected officials, school administrators and school/community liaisons, human relations specialists, lenders - in short, everyone with a stake in healthy, diverse communities - to share best practices, learn from the latest research, and build personal networks. The conference will be held October 21st - 23rd, 2004 at the Cherry Hill Hilton in Cherry Hill, NJ For more information visit www.opensoc.org or call 215.546.0511 Environmental Justice Chronicle
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