ACEEE is proud to have participated in the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) FY 2022 Thriving Communities Program. As originally laid out by DOT, the goal of the program was "to ensure that disadvantaged communities adversely or disproportionately affected by environmental, climate, and human health policy outcomes have the technical tools and organizational capacity to compete for federal aid and deliver quality infrastructure projects that enable their communities and neighborhoods to thrive.”
ACEEE worked as part of a team of capacity-building organizations led by RMI under the "Complete Neighborhoods" cohort of the Thriving Communities Program, which included 15 communities across the country. ACEEE developed work plans in close collaboration with four communities (Lansing, MI; Lima, OH; St. Louis County, MO; and Sumter, SC) that helped make meaningful progress toward goals for more connected, accessible, and resilient transportation systems in these regions. The four case studies below highlight outcomes from our partnership with these communities.
ACEEE convened community-based organizations and public-sector stakeholders in Lansing to support pedestrian safety and economic development along a major corridor in Southwest Lansing.
In Lima, ACEEE helped secure new funding for transportation safety, launch a new community ambassador program, and prioritize improvements to bus stops.
In the St. Louis region, ACEEE worked with local partners to analyze multimodal transportation needs and improve interagency collaboration on project delivery.
ACEEE supported transportation resilience planning and helped establish a resident advisory committee to inform transportation project planning in the Sumter region.