Design of a Prioritization Methodology for Equitable Infrastructure Planning; Impacts of Equitable and Just Projects Focused on Improving Minority Communities

The City of Charlottesville wanted a new method to equitably prioritize school-focused walking and biking infrastructure for children, especially in the face of bussing shortages. My team developed an approach and tool for the Safe Routes to School coordinator and the city Bicycle and Pedestrian planner to use in order to choose which projects they want to implement first. We developed a method to measure the walkability and equity concern for each Census block group in ArcGIS and create an Excel workbook to give each project a prioritization score. For my STS research, since Safe Routes to School is a program that focuses on the needs of a minority community (i.e., children), I researched the direct and broader benefits of these types of programs and policies for decision-makers to better understand the value of them.

School of Engineering and Applied Science
Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering
Technical Advisor: Reid Bailey
STS Advisor: Richard Jacques
Team Members: Rahul Dhansinghani, Ayman Ibrahim, Aditya Kannoth, Claire Miller, Steven Pham