Program Details

Key Elements of the program:

• Understanding the relationships between land use, transportation, and public health;
  
  
• Collaboration with non-traditional transportation and land use partners to incorporate health perspectives into their work;
  
  
• Institutional support for activities not directly related to traditional public health, but which have indirect impacts on health outcomes; and,
  
  
• At least, one staff-person.

Adequate transportation options are necessary for the well-being of families and communities. Inadequate transportation hinders access to basic necessities – jobs, childcare, education, health care, social services, even food and clothing – for “transit dependent” populations. Transit dependent populations are those who rely on public transportation such as bus, tram, light rail, commuter rail, and train for the majority or entirety of their daily life needs. People of color and low income communities compromise the majority of transit dependent populations.

The TJWG began its work by examining the transportation planning and funding decisions made in the MTC Regional Transportation Plan and the impact of those decisions on disadvantaged communities. Beginning in fall 2003, the MTC developed a process to assess how much funding should be designated for the Bay Area “Lifeline Transportation Network,” a set of transit policies that were designed to increase transit access and improve transit service for low-income and minority communities. The TJWG played an active role in advocating for increased funding through a series of actions – press conferences, speaking publicly and turning out advocates at MTC hearings, writing letters and opinion-editorials, and targeting specific MTC board members with education materials. In the end, the TJWG successfully compelled the MTC to increase the amount of funding it would put towards its Lifeline program.

Perhaps most importantly, the Transportation Justice Working Group acts as “check” on the MTC and county transit agencies and tracks the development of transportation policies. In the event proposed policies burden or threaten services for transit dependent communities, the TJWG begins organizing and developing empirical responses to the potential effects of such policies. Through continuous presence at MTC hearings and meetings, commenting and providing feedback on proposed projects and policies, advancing environmental justice principles, and meeting with MTC staff and board members, the TJWG has developed an effective, mutually-respected rapport with transportation agencies and planners. The effect has been to increase accountability and advance a more holistic understanding of the relationship of transportation to housing, jobs, schools, and health.

The strategy of working with transportation planners, policy-makers, and advocates is different in that public health professionals traditionally focus on the effects of poor transportation planning – i.e. promoting physical activity to reduce obesity, preventing and treating asthma, and medicating stress. Environmental health bureaus typically focus on tasks such as abating lead and asbestos, performing inspections of restaurants and housing, assessing the toxicity of chemicals, mitigating medical and waste hazards. These activities are instrumental in protecting the health and safety of communities and workers. However, aspects of how we build and use our environment also affect health, yet are not traditionally incorporated into the scope of an environmental health bureau. By broadening our mission to incorporate work on land use planning, zoning and land rights, transportation systems and housing development, we are working to redefine the traditional environmental health mission to consider the effects of what has been termed our “built environment.” Similarly, the fields of urban planning, transportation planning and engineering must confront the public health aspects of their decision-making.

The SFDPH has played an unusually active role in the work of the TJWG. All members have an equal stake in planning and implementing projects. Though we are the only governmental body represented in the group, our voice is respected and listened to. Typically, we focus on providing health data, resources and technical assistance in campaign development and advocacy. However, our expertise in overall community health planning and coordination has provided added process-related skills and guidance to TJWG decision-making and planning. We meet biweekly with the full working group and participate in sub-groups and steering committees. Our goal within the group is to illustrate how the Bay Area`s regional transportation needs are related to public health and how improved transportation planning is beneficial to health. Another goal of ours in the TJWG is to promote the analysis of health and social impacts in transportation assessments under the California Environmental Quality Act.

The TJWG began its work by examining the transportation planning and funding decisions made in the MTC Regional Transportation Plan and the impact of those decisions on disadvantaged communities. Beginning in fall 2003, the MTC developed a process to assess how much funding should be designated for the Bay Area “Lifeline Transportation Network,” a set of transit policies that were designed to increase transit access and improve transit service for low-income and minority communities. The TJWG played an active role in advocating for increased funding through a series of actions – press conferences, speaking publicly and turning out advocates at MTC hearings, writing letters and opinion-editorials, and targeting specific MTC board members with education materials. In the end, the TJWG successfully compelled the MTC to increase the amount of funding it would put towards its Lifeline program.

Perhaps most importantly, the Transportation Justice Working Group acts as “check” on the MTC and county transit agencies and tracks the development of transportation policies. In the event proposed policies burden or threaten services for transit dependent communities, the TJWG begins organizing and developing empirical responses to the potential effects of such policies. Through continuous presence at MTC hearings and meetings, commenting and providing feedback on proposed projects and policies, advancing environmental justice principles, and meeting with MTC staff and board members, the TJWG has developed an effective, mutually-respected rapport with transportation agencies and planners. The effect has been to increase accountability and advance a more holistic understanding of the relationship of transportation to housing, jobs, schools, and health.

The strategy of working with transportation planners, policy-makers, and advocates is different in that public health professionals traditionally focus on the effects of poor transportation planning – i.e. promoting physical activity to reduce obesity, preventing and treating asthma, and medicating stress. Environmental health bureaus typically focus on tasks such as abating lead and asbestos, performing inspections of restaurants and housing, assessing the toxicity of chemicals, mitigating medical and waste hazards. These activities are instrumental in protecting the health and safety of communities and workers. However, aspects of how we build and use our environment also affect health, yet are not traditionally incorporated into the scope of an environmental health bureau. By broadening our mission to incorporate work on land use planning, zoning and land rights, transportation systems and housing development, we are working to redefine the traditional environmental health mission to consider the effects of what has been termed our “built environment.” Similarly, the fields of urban planning, transportation planning and engineering must confront the public health aspects of their decision-making.