CTS Webinar: Investing in Transportation Equity — Better Decisions, Better Community Outcomes

About the Event

Transportation infrastructure investments can shape communities for generations, making equity an important consideration in deciding where and how to invest and in addressing the impacts of existing infrastructure. In this webinar, CTS scholar Camila Fonseca-Sarmiento highlighted two University of Minnesota research projects exploring different but connected dimensions of equity in transportation planning. 

The first project explored the community impacts of dense highway infrastructure, or “spaghetti junctions,” including community fragmentation, displacement, environmental impacts, and economic challenges. Drawing on case studies from across the United States, the research identified strategies transportation agencies and their partners can use to mitigate these harms. The second project examined how Minnesota localities and Native nations incorporate equity into capital investment decision making, including the measures, community engagement approaches, challenges, and successful practices that can support more equitable investment decisions.

These projects offer practical insights into how transportation professionals can better incorporate equity and community perspectives into investment decisions and infrastructure planning.

The webinar was held in conjunction with a CTS Education and Engagement Council meeting.

Watch the recording

Speaker

Camila Fonseca-Sarmiento is the director of fiscal research at the Institute for Urban and Regional Infrastructure Finance at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs and a CTS scholar. At the Institute, Fonseca-Sarmiento  engages with research on the economic impacts of policies, public budgeting, and public finance. She has worked on funded projects supported by the Minnesota Legislature, Minnesota Department of Transportation, Minnesota Local Road Research Board, and The Volcker Alliance.