The federal government’s Justice40 initiative set a landmark goal: 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain federal investments will flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized, underserved, and overburdened by pollution. A national commitment to environmental justice of this magnitude has never been made before. To meet the goal, agencies are changing their programs to ensure their benefits reach disadvantaged communities.
The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority (SEPTA) was one of the nation’s first transit agencies to sign the Equity in Infrastructure Project Pledge to increase, by 2026, the share of federal contracts that go to small and disadvantaged businesses. Through this presentation, learn how SEPTA is using data to define its set-aside program and make a baseline assessment on how to direct federal contracting to small businesses to advance social equity in the Philadelphia region.
NPC Peer Reviewers assigned this presentation a learning level of Intermediate. For more on learning-level descriptions, visit our General Information Page.
Learning Objectives:
Understand the federal government’s Justice40 Initiative and how it is being implemented.
Recognize how data management and visualization tools can be used in equity efforts.
Discover how transit agencies and other partners are taking steps to invest in disadvantaged communities.
