Minneapolis Review

The City’s Public Works Department is seeking public comment on the draft Racial Equity Framework for Transportation. The goal is to use the framework as a catalyst to improve racial equity outcomes in Minneapolis by investing in transportation, elevating existing and forging new partnerships, and uplifting voices historically excluded from the decision-making processes.

The development of the framework was identified as a key priority in the Transportation Action Plan, the City’s vision for safer, greener and more modern streets that serve all people and all the ways we want to get around. Staff partnered with the Cultural Wellness Center to create a Community Equity Workgroup (CEW) to collaborate on the framework’s development.

Four goals guide the work of the Racial Equity Framework:

• Build organizational empathy: Staff will develop shared language and understanding about the importance of racial equity and how that focus impacts all parts of transportation work – from budgeting to planning, design, construction, operations, and maintenance. 
• Lead with a racial equity approach: The framework will guide the engagement, evaluation, and implementation work of transportation plans, programs, and projects.  
• Build trust, cultivate partnerships, and share power with communities of color: The framework will clearly define strategies to engage diverse communities, increase collaboration, and identify ways to measure positive change and impact.  
• Be accountable to data-driven reporting and adjustments: Staff will use data that shows results by race in transportation planning, projects, prioritization, and evaluation, tracking and sharing results with community and partners along the way. 

The framework includes 24 strategies and 64 actions aligned with the four goals above that will define the work of this effort through 2030, aligning with the Transportation Action Plan. A draft Transportation Equity Dashboard accompanies the draft Racial Equity Framework. This online interactive dashboard will allow both City staff and residents to engage and explore current equity data related to transportation in Minneapolis.

Comment on the draft framework

The comment period on the draft Racial Equity Framework for Transportation runs until Jan. 20. There are several ways to provide feedback:

• Attend an in-person meeting co-hosted by the Cultural Wellness Center and the Community Equity Workgroup 6:30-8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 6 at the Midtown Global Market, 920 E. Lake St., Graves Foundation Office.
• Attend an online open house 6-7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 8. Visit the City’s website to find a link to participate.
• Leave comments on the City’s website.

Next steps

The City Council will review a final Racial Equity Framework for Transportation early in 2023.

Original source can be found here.