"Abstract
The relationship between certain transportation strategies, such as complete streets, and the outcomes we want to see in our communities, such as improved safety and health, have been described and documented in the research literature. However, this information isn’t readily accessible to those who need it: planners, elected officials, and the communities they serve. An interactive web-based tool, StreetWise, will illuminate these relationships in a visually rich and compelling way using the best evidence available.
Project description
StreetWise is an online platform that helps people understand the complex relationship between transportation investments and their effects on communities. Through a marriage of evidence and insight, StreetWise will provide planners with the tools they need to implement solutions that work best for their community. StreetWise will help planners to:
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Evaluate and prioritize investments based on demonstrated successes
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Defend innovation that is contrary to the status quo
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Learn from case studies so they can successfully implement projects
StreetWise seeks to visually illuminate the relationships described in the research through the use of compelling graphics and standardized, easy-to-read descriptions. StreetWise users will be able to search by outcome and by strategy. For each strategy or outcome, StreetWise will provide a definition and description, with annotated hyperlinks to support claims. StreetWise will display how transportation strategies affect outcomes through a performance dashboard. The design will be especially adept in highlighting how certain strategies offer multiple benefits. Those who want more detail will be able to click through to a table that displays the study findings, and further will have the ability to click through to the study itself when it is available. With every query, StreetWise will provide links to popular resources so planners can learn how best to implement the kinds of projects that achieve results.
Planners will be able to search through guidebooks, model codes and ordinances, and case studies. StreetWise will also have Case Study Briefs: reports that summarize the case study collection on a particular topic, complete with insights on how to frame conversations, build relationships, and anticipate problems. Registered users will be able to upload their own case studies and reports.
AudienceStreetWise will arm its primary audience—public and private sector planning agencies working on local, sub-regional, and regional transportation plans—with the best available data about the effect of transportation investments. StreetWise will have a wealth of resources available to help them learn about how to frame conversations, anticipate challenges, and problem-solve. Public health professionals exploring the relationship between transportation investments and health and safety will also benefit from the tool.
The secondary audience includes the community members, engineers, and elected officials that the planners are seeking to educate through a transportation planning process. The graphic user interface will be designed with this audience in mind: highly visual and informative at a quick glance. The detail-oriented community member or elected official will also benefit from the hyperlinked annotations and the ability to click through to detailed articles.
Academics will appreciate the StreetWise’s ability to increase publication reach and make research more useful to practitioners. Furthermore, StreetWise will be created through a collaboration of academics who will review and index articles for inclusion in the database.
Why Communities Need StreetWise
Transportation systems offer more than just mobility: they drive economic investment, facilitate active living, provide access to opportunity (or present a barrier to it), and are a key contributor to environmental and human health. And yet transportation decisions often are made using a limited set of mobility measures that don’t reflect the full impact of potential investments, compromising the ability for people to make fully informed decisions.
In a growing performance-based transportation planning context, having the evidence at hand to educate community members and decision-makers about the effectiveness of different strategies is critical. By increasing the visibility of evidence, engaging people through a transparent process, and telling a story about transportation, StreetWise will help communities make better decisions about transportation investments.
Contact
Kelly Rodgers, Confluence Planning