Environmental Justice
Environmental Justice Areas and Index Scores
EJ and Transportation Accessibility
Transportation accessibility is a key component of the vision, goals, and objectives of the Grand Valley Metropolitan Council’s Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP), and is also a federal priority. To help promote the implementation of these accessibility-related goals, objectives, and priorities, an analysis was performed to assess regional access to roadway, transit, and nonmotorized transportation networks, as well as accessibility to key destinations – hospitals, community colleges and universities, and employment centers – via these transportation systems. The analysis utilized GIS software and placed special emphasis on measuring accessibility for minority and low-income environmental justice (EJ) populations in an effort to make EJ considerations increasingly meaningful in the regional planning process. This assessment was a first step in an ongoing process involving coordination with transit and community agencies. The months-long study was the first of this kind conducted by the MPO, and was performed as a function of long-range planning efforts. A link to the report is below.
Environmental Justice and Transportation Accessibility Report
Banner photo by Imzadi1979 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons