Predicting the Future: Sustainable Support for Transit AICP CM 1.5 How do you build and maintain support for future transit investment? How do you rally business leaders, riders, policymakers and opinion leaders behind your cause? Explore three approaches from three areas: Minneapolis-St. Paul's Corridors of Opportunity Innovative Engagement Models, created by a grassroots coalition; Washington state's Transportation Choices Coalition's successful proactive campaigns; and TriMet Portland's regional transit agency's use of field organizing strategies to engage riders and opinion leaders. Moderator: Jennifer Harmening Thiede, Communications Associate & Member Engagement Manager, Transit for Livable Communities, St. Paul, Minnesota Repa Mekha, President and Chief Executive Officer, Nexus Community Partners, St. Paul, Minnesota Diane Goodwin, Manager of Public Affairs, TriMet, Portland, Oregon Andrew Austin, Policy Director, Transportation Choices, Seattle, Washington

1. Predicting the Future: Sustainable Support for Transit
Rail~Volution2014Saint Paul, MN

2. Our Presenters
JENNIFER HARMENINGTHIEDETransit for Livable Communities
REPAMEKHANexus Community Partners
ANDREW AUSTINTransportation Choices
DIANE GOODWINTriMet

3. Session Overview
Building community engagement, political will, and agency action

4. Twin Cities Region
HUD
Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant
LIVING CITIES
Integration Initiative
Corridors of Opportunity
Partnership for Regional Opportunity
Transition
2014
Transition
2015
Corridors of Opportunity Policy Board:state, regional & local government, business groups, non-profits, foundations

6. Purpose: to develop targeted strategies that engage underrepresented communities in planning, decision-making, and implementation processes on and around transit-oriented corridors.
Creating Common Ground
A Community Engagement Team (CET)
Advises the Policy Board on community engagement best practices
A: to provide funding and technical support to community based organizations
B: Influence decision- making structures

7. To ensure underrepresented communities are a powerful voice in creating an equitable regional transit system. We will work with community stakeholders & policy makers to:

Set regional standards for community engagement

Ensure underrepresented communities can leverage community benefits

Secure equitable development from public investments in our regional transit-ways

Expand resources to build the capacity of community groups to influence transit-way planning

Advise CET team, policymakers and COO Policy Board on regional community engagement issues
Building a New Inclusion Model
Community Engagement Steering Committee Purpose

8. Building New Inclusion Models

Develop grant award guidelines & applications

Establish opportunity framework

Review and score proposals, conduct site visits, make grant recommendations to CET

$750,000 in grant awards to
community based organizations
Community Engagement Grant Review Committee Purpose:

9. Bridging & Relationship Building
O
Met Council
O
Counties
O
City Corridor Managers
O
Policy Board
O
Cross-sector Community Learning Forums

10. Early Impact
O
Grantees

$750,000 in federal funds and $250,000 in philanthropy and technical support

Bridging relationships with city, county, and Met Council staff

Cross-corridor Community Engagement Steering Committee working directly with
Met Council

Entrepreneurship Training

11. Early Impact
O
Policy & Systems Change

Definition of Equitable Development/Equitable Development Principle

MC Equity Criteria: Livable Communities Act–TOD $32 million & Local Implementation Capacity Grants $953K

Fair Housing Equity Assessment HUD requirement

Thrive MSP 2040 engagement practice & policy

Community Advisory Committee

12. Early Impact
O
Developing & Sharing Knowledge

National Conferences

Living Cities Integration Initiative Learning Session

HUD Presentation

Model Replication

13. Evaluation
O
Wilder Research

Grantee outcomes & impact

Systems/policy impact

CET model
O
Works Progress

Documentary
O
PolicylinkCase Study

Twin Cities case study

14. “The stone that the builder refused, will always be the head cornerstone.”
Bob Marley

15. Building Transit’s Political Power
Andrew Austin
@Transitdude
Policy Director
Transportation Choices
Andrew@transportationchoices.org

16. Who we are
•
Transportation Choices is a non-profit advocacy organization based in Washington State that works to expand and save public transit across the state and promote smart transportation policy ideas
•
Staff of 6
•
Education, politics, advocacy, and policy
•
Transportationchoices.org

17. Transit is a #2, #3, or #4 issue for many
But a #1 issue for very few
Cultivating our friends: Building relationships with business, labor, social-justice partners to win on transit.

18. Strength in Allies
Transit advocates only as powerful as their closest friends!
Business, agencies, unions, riders, advocates can’t win alone
Together we can succeed, when coalitions are diverse and relationships are strong.

19. Identifying Self-Interest
Meeting people where THEY are at.

20. Important Coalition Partners
1.
The Transit Agency!
2.
Transit Advocacy & Rider Organizing groups
3.
ATU and the Broader Labor Community
4.
Social justice & environmental justice orgs.
5.
Environmental, cycling and walking, smart growth (transit nerds)
6.
Social Service providers & low-wealth advocates
7.
Local Chamber of Commerce & businesses

21. Triangle of Influence State and Local Levels
Smart Policy Ideas & Funding
State and local Elected officials
Agency, biz., labor and community partners

22. Ultimately to achieve our goals
We have to MOVE State and local Elected officials:
Either by electing die hard champions or
Convincing swing legislators

23. What’s Aren’t we doing
Electoral work officially as an organization to:
•
Elect transit champions on the local and state level
•
Strengthen relationships with candidates and elected officials
•
Ultimately expand our political power to achieve our organizational policy goals.
State and local Elected officials

24. Why do we need this a stronger political voice?
Because we aren’t winning on our good ideas alone

25. In Summary
1.
Make friends as transit’s power often relies on the strength of our friends, allies, coalition partners.
2.
Expand our reach directly into the political arena (501c4s, PACs, Electoral work)

26. Together build transit (and its riders) political power.

27. Sustainable Support for TransitDiane GoodwinTriMet Manager of Public Affairs

28. Portland’s Evolving Landscape

29. New Approach: Engage Riders
1.
Build network of supporters (data!)
2.
Educate & engage network
3.
Mobilize

30. Online Engagement: Riders Club, Social Media

31. Offline Engagement: Build Personal Relationships

32. Preview New Public Art with Artist
Coffees with General Manager,
Board Members
Offline Engagement: Build Personal Relationships

33. Offline Engagement: Build Personal Relationships
Behind the Scenes Tours
Contest to Drive A TriMet Bus

34. Offline Engagement: Build Personal Relationships
Rider Blogs: Tell us Your Story
Contest for a Monthly Pass

35. Engage Employers, Small Business

36. Engage Employers, Small Business
TilikumCrossing Tours
Profiles of Small Businesses

37. •
Riders Club membership
•
Participation in events
•
Support in Salem (Gearing up for 2015)
•
Rider and Opinion Surveys
•
Support for new revenue, new transit
Measuring Our Success

38. Discussion
Ask questionsand shareyour experience