Barnes/Langworthy 1

The purpose of this project was to understand why public involvement in transportation project planning sometimes fails to reach a resolution that is acceptable to both the agency and the public, and to determine how the process could be modified to reduce the likelihood of this outcome. We address these issues through case studies of both successful and unsuccessful transportation public involvement processes. We conclude that there are a small number of independent dimensions around which conflict can arise, and that some projects by their nature have a higher level of potential for conflict around one or more of these dimensions. We discuss how the potential for conflict can be anticipated, and how the public involvement process can be modified to better manage conflict and achieve mutually acceptable results. We develop a model in which conflict can occur in five parameters, each with its own level of intensity or intractability: • Degree of local benefits or costs • Disputes regarding the nature and importance of local impacts • Ability to accurately define and engage relevant stakeholders • Perceived legitimacy of the project • Degree of ideological issues Our conclusion is that each of these parameters needs to be analyzed and the likely level of conflict identified prior to the beginning of the public involvement process, and that the process should be explicitly structured to focus on addressing the high-conflict areas early in the process. Barnes/Langworthy