Design of a Prioritization Methodology for Equitable Infrastructure Planning

Abstract

Charlottesville City Schools, like many school districts around the country, is interested in expanding the number of children with safe routes to walk to school in response to bus driver shortages. However, there is currently not much walking infrastructure that allows elementary students to do so, and the city would like a way to prioritize infrastructure projects that meet current needs. This project aims to provide decision-makers with a methodology to assess the walkability of school districts in order to prioritize future infrastructure investments. The methodology, built with significant stakeholder involvement, is designed to be transparent to all stakeholders, easy to use, and built on sound decision theory principles while integrating equity in the decision process. The methodology consists of three phases. First, a geospatial information system (GIS) is used to identify areas with the greatest need based on the walkability of roads and socioeconomic factors within communities. Once areas in need have been identified, projects in these areas are compiled. The second step calculates a prioritization score to each project based on the calculated walkability improvement the project will have and how many people will be impacted by the project. The final step visualizes the prioritization score and cost of each project. The methodology was then evaluated against objectives that were determined in collaboration with the primary stakeholders that would be applying the method.