3 min read November 2023 — Executive Director of the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission Ariella Maron spoke with Invest: about the transportation infrastructure planning in place for the near and long term, and the region’s vision for equity and resilience. “The vision captured in our long-range plan, Connection 2050, is for an equitable, resilient and sustainable region,” she said.
What is your vision for the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission and how are you implementing it?
What is unique about metropolitan planning organizations (MPO), and DVRPC is the MPO for the Greater Philadelphia region, is that we are actually required to create a long-range plan and a shared vision for the region in collaboration with our planning partners, stakeholders, and the public. Part of what drew me to this role at DVRPC is that the existing vision really did speak to me, my priorities and my goals. The vision captured in our long-range plan, Connection 2050, is for an equitable, resilient and sustainable region. All of the work we do is to move us toward realizing that vision. My responsibility is to work closely with our board and support our staff on the hundreds of projects we do to realize that vision
What are the top priorities for infrastructure upgrades and expansion in the area when it comes to safe transportation?
Setting priorities is something we do with our planning partners. Collectively, we pull together our partners to compile a set of criteria that aligns with the visions and goals laid out in our long-range plan to evaluate potential projects. This is a critical process that involves many deep conversations. We have a multitude of priorities but number one is safety. In recent years, we have seen the number of transportation-related fatalities and serious injuries from crashes go up. This is serious; it affects everyone. Those most impacted by crashes tend to be vulnerable road users, such as walkers and cyclists, and a disproportionate number of those crashes take place in disadvantaged communities.
This is why we were so thrilled when we learned on February 1, that U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced a historic $800 million in grant awards for 510 projects through the new Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Grant Program. DVRPC was awarded $1.47 million for our Regional Vision Zero 2050 Action Program. This was a regional effort, with all nine counties in the DVRPC region included as subrecipients of the award. With this funding,
DVRPC and our partners will create a safety action program to advance the Connections 2050 Long-Range Plan Regional Vision Zero 2050 goal with a process designed to strengthen ongoing regional collaboration toward eliminating crash fatalities.
How are the pillars of the long-range plan playing out?
As an MPO, we are required by our federal partners to create a long-range plan that looks out at least 20 years into the future. This plan is updated every four years, meaning we are always in some stage of long-range planning. As part of this process, we speak with a diverse set of stakeholders to assess emerging trends and potential future scenarios that may result from these trends. For example, we discuss the role and potential impact e-commerce, automation, climate policies, investments and more will have in the future. We also focus on reaching communities that historically have been absent from the table. Speaking with as many people and stakeholders across the region as possible in this planning is crucial to ensure we include their priorities. We then conduct vision and goal-setting in our four areas of work: preserving and restoring the national environment; developing inclusive, healthy and walkable communities; growing an innovative and connective economy; and maintaining a safe, multimodal transportation network that serves everyone.
As an MPO, we are required by our federal partners to create a long-range plan that looks out at least 20 years into the future. This plan is updated every four years, meaning we are always in some stage of long-range planning. As part of this process, we speak with a diverse set of stakeholders to assess emerging trends and potential future scenarios that may result from these trends. For example, we discuss the role and potential impact e-commerce, automation, climate policies, investments and more will have in the future. We also focus on reaching communities that historically have been absent from the table. Speaking with as many people and stakeholders across the region as possible in this planning is crucial to ensure we include their priorities. We then conduct vision and goal-setting in our four areas of work: preserving and restoring the national environment; developing inclusive, healthy and walkable communities; growing an innovative and connective economy; and maintaining a safe, multimodal transportation network that serves everyone.
How have sustainability and climate change been placed front-and-center in your planning?
Enhancing the resilience of communities, protecting our infrastructure, buildings, and public spaces from the impacts of climate change, preserving and restoring the natural environment, and facilitating the transition towards a clean energy economy are integrated into all of our work: from initiatives to improve road safety for walkers and cyclists and support the build out of electric vehicle charging network, to efforts to manage a program to convert streetlights to LEDs and facilitate renewable energy procurement. We are focused on climate action across our built and natural environments.
Federal funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is providing the opportunity to enhance this work. It has allowed us to direct resources to support local priorities and address planning and design challenges in order to facilitate implementation of trails, sidewalks, and safety projects. It has augmented our regional planning capabilities so we can now create a Regional Vision Zero Program, develop a regional climate action plan, and collaborate with environmental, community, academic, and government partners to support resilience for coastal communities. We know the strategies available to support the transition to a clean energy economy, improve local air quality, address environmental injustices, and improve quality of life; and with increased funding, we are looking at how best to support implementation of these strategies.
For example, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector, we know we need to reduce the number of miles traveled by single-occupancy vehicles with internal combustion engines. This requires giving commuters and others dependent on cars better alternatives where we can—ones that are convenient, affordable, safe, and yes, enjoyable—and to support electrification and/or use of low/no carbon fuels where we cannot. The strategies are clear, but there are many challenges to implementation, from the inability to raise revenues to serve as local matches for federal funding opportunities for transit projects, to design and engineering challenges associated with our built environment. We are focused on addressing these challenges and on creating a pipeline of projects ready for implementation. Additionally, more and more we are integrating resiliency into our work, not just the reduction of emissions. This includes preserving natural systems, integrating flood management, and considering heat mitigation strategies, such as bus shelters and shading.
How is your outlook for your organization and region in the next five years affecting your priorities?
The outlook is extremely positive for both DVRPC and our amazing Greater Philadelphia region. Organizationally, we will grow our capacity and institutionalize our ability to integrate equity, resilience and sustainability into our work and see greater positive impact for our communities, especially historically overburdened and under-resourced areas.
We will have created the regional governance to really support community resilience across our region from all of the hazards related to climate change, such as flooding, intense storms and heat. And we will have momentum around reducing greenhouse gas emissions in our region and have positioned the region as a national leader in the clean energy economy.
In the next five years, we will have unlocked hundreds of millions of dollars from the IIJA and other funding sources to keep our extensive transportation network in a state of good repair; begin to evolve it to best meet the changing needs of residents, businesses, and visitors; and address past harms.
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