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Advancing transit equity through community and stakeholder engagement, and technology integration

San Francisco’s Central Subway Line returned light rail services to the Chinatown neighborhood. WSP’s Zylah Doria discusses how community and stakeholder engagement drive transit equity for the 1.7-mile infrastructure project.
map marker United States | Wednesday, July 10, 2024
Reading Time : 3:15 minutes

 

Transit is a vital component of equitable urban infrastructure. As our cities continue to grow and diversify, ensuring that transit systems serve all residents fairly becomes increasingly important.

We sat down with vice president and civil engineer, WSP’s Zylah Doria, about the critical role technology, community and stakeholder involvement played in advancing transit equity for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) Central Subway. Doria served as the design project manager for the agency’s $2 billion megaproject that brought rail service back to Chinatown after a nearly 72-year absence.

 

How do you define equitable transit and its social implications?

To me, equitable transit means connectivity — providing access and service to underserved communities. For Central Subway, this came to fruition with building a station in San Francisco’s Chinatown.

As one of the most densely populated neighborhoods in the city, this was long overdue. The extension of SFMTA’s T-line provides a direct link from Chinatown to other parts of the city, increasing access to jobs, education and other essential services. As far as the social implications of equitable transit are concerned, I think it greatly enhances the communities that are being served. Improving mobility can lead to economic uplift and better integration into the broader city.

 

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Zylah points out technical aspects of the 1.7-mile tunnel.

 

What are some of the biggest challenges to creating and implementing equitable transit systems?

Limited budgets, constraints on infrastructure and community consensus.

Major transit projects require extensive financial resources from multiple sources — federal, state, local (Central Subway was supported by five different entities!) — and it can be difficult to both obtain and maintain funding. Additionally, building infrastructure in already established communities, whether they have to thread the needle in dense urban environments or navigate urban sprawl, poses challenges when dealing with existing buildings and roadways. Impacts of construction and changes to neighborhoods raise concern from local communities.

On top of all of this, one needs to think about ensuring fair service distribution. Will these new services equitably benefit all residents? This requires continually addressing and reassessing strategies to make sure goals are met and the communities are served fairly.

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Zylah Doria
Vice President, Civil Engineer
United States

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Can you talk about the role of community/stakeholder involvement through the lens of equitable transit?

Knowing the audience is key. Involvement with the community and other stakeholders should happen early and often.

Each of the three underground stations for Central Subway were tailored to its respective neighborhood. The Yerba Buena/Moscone (YBM) station was designed with a simple layout to serve both the convention center and residents. The Union Square Market Street (UMS) station had to take all the existing businesses into account as a section of Stockton Street was closed for six years during construction. The Chinatown-Rose Pak (CTS) station required extensive engagement with the community through public meetings, workshops and consultations to ensure requests were addressed.

Through all the assessments and coordination, needs were identified and adopted. YBM incorporated future-focused design, sizing columns in the headhouse to support future transit-oriented development, while UMS implemented innovative design to deal with the narrow right-of-way at street level and CTS added a plaza atop the station to provide a public gathering place for its residents.

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Zylah Doria and WSP’s Sofia Berger en route to the Central Subway ribbon cutting.

The Central Subway Project has always been about connecting communities - to jobs, entertainment and other essential services. It was built with community partnerships to ensure we were designing and building according to their needs and advancing transit equity.
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 Zylah gives a tour of the Central Subway to the WSP’s San Francisco summer 2023 interns.

 

What technology innovations can improve accessibility for transit?

Ultimately, you want transit to dovetail seamlessly into the built environment. Providing real-time information systems like digital displays and mobile app integrations gives passengers confidence when scheduling and going about their day. In addition to including tactile maps and paving, SFMTA enhances accessibility by providing audible announcements in four languages – English, Spanish, Cantonese and Tagalog.

What excites you about the future of transit?

Transit has implemented a more holistic approach in planning and has realized there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. This encourages innovation in transit development through different lenses — sustainability, improved accessibility, technological advances, integrated mobility — with the communities in mind. Emphasizing community engagement and stakeholder involvement creates a more cohesive and connected transit network, which can significantly enhance urban mobility and quality of life.

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