Community-Based Advocacy at the Intersection of Public Health and Transportation

Abstract

Integrating public health concerns into transportation policy agendas involves addressing the negative impacts of traffic on neighboring communities. Through interviews, focus groups, and participatory photo-mapping, we studied one community that advocated to improve community health through the design and reconstruction of an arterial road in their neighborhood. The transportation planning process provided an opportunity for neighbors’ participation, but it prioritized solving regional transportation problems instead of local impacts. The uneven adoption of public health concerns in this case was related to the constraints of regional planning and governance. Integrating health and transportation issues locally requires action at multiple scales.