City of Charlotte Strategic Mobility Plan
Background
Amplify Consulting (now Civility Localized) worked with the Charlotte Department of Transportation Active Transportation Coordinator, Scott Curry and with a number of community partners to help reach key populations and gather feedback for the Charlotte Strategic Mobility Plan. We aimed to engage with Charlotte residents who travel using various modes of transportation, as well as a diverse representation of gender and ethnicity with intent to recruit participants of African American, Hispanic, Asian and Indigenous ethnic background as well as immigrants, non-English speakers, single-parent households, older adults, members of the differently-abled community, and people experiencing homelessness. Equity focus groups focused on recruiting participants who are historically underrepresented in transportation planning.
Project Goals
Gain additional insights of people's lived experiences
Enhance the opportunities for feedback and engagement
Increase participation from the community
Build trust with those who are more impacted by inequity
Focus Group Objectives:
Share experiences and needs for better transportation options
Discuss transportation and mobility priorities for Charlotte
Discuss innovative solutions for Charlotte
Help the City invest in ongoing engagement experiences around the topic of equity
Challenges
The initial survey for the Strategic Mobility Plan was not representative of Charlotte’s population or transit users.
The COVID-19 Pandemic also made in-person engagement unsafe. This meant designing ways to engage participants virtually and in creative ways.
What We Did
We hosted 6 virtual focus groups to start. Later, in phase two, we facilitated 15 neighborhood-based virtual listening sessions.
All of the engagement occurred online/virtual due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Media
