DIVERSITY IN TRANSPORTATION PLANNING IS UNDER ATTACK — BUT THESE EXPERTS SAY IT’S MORE IMPORTANT NOW THAN EVER

MINORITY-OWNED PLANNING FIRMS ARE AS ESSENTIAL AS THEY EVER WERE, THESE FOUR TOP EXPERTS ARGUE — NO MATTER WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE SAYS

Experts such as Charnelle Hicks note that minority communities help foot the bill for public projects — even though hiring minority-led firms is the exception to rule. And that imbalance leads to unfair outcomes for travelers on the ground.

“In the public sector, taxes are paid by everyone – so you would think the plan would be for everyone, but we all know it doesn’t always turn out that way,” said Hicks, who serves as principal at Philadelphia-based CHPlanning.

If different people with different backgrounds are not considered from the beginning of the planning process, Hicks argues that projects will fail.