Overview
DVRPC's Supporting Communities program connects local governments to funding and technical assistance to advance transportation planning and project implementation efforts. We do this by:
- Providing support to conduct public engagement to community residents and leaders to understand their preferences and needs for transportation improvements.
- Developing planning or capital projects based on what we hear from residents and local leaders and informed by relevant transportation data (such as asset condition or crash history) as appropriate.
- Providing assistance to implement priority projects through available DVRPC funding programs or others.
- Coordinating with county, state, and transportation planning partners to advance local priority projects.
- Facilitating connections between local governments, subject matter experts and resources
- Adapting what we learn through these targeted efforts with specific communities, to benefit other communities across our full portfolio of work.
Program Structure
This program supports local governments during planning and project development. There are various types of support DVRPC staff can provide through this program:
Public Engagement
DVRPC staff conduct outreach and listening activities with communities within a municipality so planning and capital project development reflect the needs of residents. DVRPC may be able to help by:
- Convening local stakeholders to identify community priorities
- Developing a public engagement strategy
- Creating and promoting a local survey
- Empowering local governments to host successful public engagement events, offering best practices and ready-to-use materials
Planning
DVRPC staff can provide support to local governments on a number of topics including transportation, smart growth, and environmental planning. DVRPC may be able to help by:
- Providing consultation to staff planners on issues or questions
- Facilitating workshops to identify issues and brainstorm solutions with local leaders and residents
- Providing ll technical assistance to study a local issue
- Creating a DVRPC work program project to address the local issue
Implementation
DVRPC staff can work to fund and deliver infrastructure projects. This may include prioritization for established formula funding programs in PA and NJ, technical assistance in identifying opportunities, guidance on preparing applications for discretionary grant programs, and other similar assistance.
Supporting Communities is intended to create a pipeline of transportation plans and projects that can be further developed and implemented over time, with DVRPC providing support along the way. This program is evolving and collaborative, incorporating lessons learned each year to make improvements and better meet the needs of local governments and their residents.
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