Transportation Academies as Catalysts for Civic Engagement in Transportation Decision-Making

Citizen planning academies, which became popular in the 1990s, are increasingly being used in transportation planning and decision-making contexts. By making use of a longer-term, multiweek educational format, transportation academies have the potential to reduce barriers and enhance community capital leading to more meaningful and sustained government-community interaction. This paper tracks the rise of transportation academies in North America, and provides a detailed look at two academies: one in Portland, Oregon with a 30-year history, and another recently launched in the Salt Lake City, Utah region. Postacademy surveys of participants provided data that illuminated whether the transportation academy model was effective in fostering greater and longer-term community engagement. Using an evaluation framework developed for assessing citizen planning academies, the data indicated positive outcomes and provide a basis for further expansion of the use of academy-type engagement initiatives.