Highland Planning is leading comprehensive public engagement for the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA)’s Bailey Avenue Bus Rapid Transit Project, a transformative initiative designed to enhance transit service and address historic inequities in East Buffalo. Our team has developed an innovative Equity and Inclusion Plan that underpins all outreach activities, ensuring that historically underrepresented voices shape this critical infrastructure investment. Through strategic community partnerships, multilingual materials, and diverse engagement formats—from traditional public meetings to informal pop-up events—we’re creating meaningful opportunities for residents, businesses, and transit riders to influence station locations, design elements, and service priorities. The engagement process emphasizes accessibility and inclusivity, with special attention to reaching vulnerable populations who depend on public transportation for access to jobs, healthcare, and education. Our work is helping NFTA develop a shared community vision for a BRT system that truly meets neighborhood needs while supporting broader economic revitalization along the corridor.
Highland Planning’s comprehensive community engagement for the Bailey Avenue BRT Project has achieved unprecedented community involvement through our innovative, equity-centered approach. We recruited and trained 11 local ambassadors (including high school youth) who conducted extensive grassroots outreach across nine designated corridor areas, facilitating 11 public meetings, visiting over 100 businesses, hosting 59+ tabling events, and conducting door-to-door outreach on more than 50 residential streets. Our multilingual approach included materials translated into six languages, while our Direct Mailing campaign reached over 16,000 households, ensuring even those unable to attend in-person events remained informed and empowered to participate. This multifaceted engagement strategy has not only generated valuable input for the BRT design but has built community ownership and enthusiasm for the project, establishing a strong foundation for successful implementation that truly reflects local priorities.
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