LCTI: Transportation Options in Spring Valley and La Presa: Community Transportation Needs Assessment
Clean Mobility Options Voucher Pilot Program
Community Transportation Needs Assessment
County of San Diego | Transportation Options in Spring Valley and La Presa: Community Transportation Needs Assessment
November 2020 – November 2021
Project Details
The County of San Diego conducted a needs assessment to understand how residents travel within the Spring Valley and La Presa communities and what challenges they face when doing so. The needs assessment was conducted through engagement with community members in two affordable housing developments as well as the communities at-large. A variety of multilingual surveys and community meeting formats were used to reach community members, including paper and electronic survey formats, regular coordination with and through the Spring Valley Community Planning Group (which represents both the Spring Valley and La Presa communities), and in-person and online community workshops. The County of San Diego provided multilingual surveys and interpretation at all workshops to assist with appropriate language needs, as well as provided a dedicated County staff person as the non-English point-of-contact for the public throughout the project and beyond.
Project Highlights
- Through the coordination with community organizations and public facilities (e.g., libraries and schools) in the Spring Valley and La Presa communities, we built working relationships that will be integral to the future implementation of this project.
- There is value in offering a range of survey types and lengths. Though our full survey included many questions to produce detailed data, many respondents were more comfortable sharing through a shorter survey (i.e., 5-10 questions) and in a more open-ended format.
- As a large public organization, we have many departments working on a variety of topics. Through this project we had positive engagement and collaboration across departments to share information and promote events.
Lessons Learned
- Effective implementation of surveys and involvement in community workshops requires strong on-the-ground champions.
- In our current environment (i.e., during the COVID-19 pandemic), community engagement was initially limited to virtual platforms, which had limited effectiveness and success.
- Be flexible with outreach. Provide as many opportunities as possible for individuals to hear and learn about a project and events. This includes online posts on social media and local blogs, paper mailers, posters at community centers, and information sharing with local organizations (e.g., community-based organizations).
Funding Details
Voucher Total: $49,515
By the Numbers
Community Engagement Activities
- 2 Virtual presentations to Spring Valley Community Planning Group
- 2 Virtual public workshops
- 21 participants (as of September 9, 2021)
Estimated Quantifiable Benefits
- Direct Jobs: 1
- Indirect Jobs: 1
- Induced Jobs: 1
Community Details
The project focuses on two affordable housing properties in the Spring Valley and La Presa communities in San Diego County. Spring Valley and La Presa are some of the most urbanized unincorporated areas in the county, located adjacent to incorporated cities, and are identified as Environmental Justice communities within the County’s Environmental Justice element. The topography is hilly with many narrow and winding roads, most of which do not have sidewalks or right of way sufficient for bike lanes. The demographics include a higher percentage of non-whites and a below average household income and total individual annual earnings than the broader San Diego region. There are many senior residential complexes and multi-family uses in these communities. Transportation options are limited to primarily automotive uses due to limited transit services provided in the area, limited existing walking and bicycling infrastructure, and limited existing commercial and retail developments.
Community Benefits
The project goal is to identify factors impacting access to transportation in the area, assess transportation modes and vehicle ownership levels, and identify potential solutions to increase transportation access. Additionally, the needs assessment gathered information about reasons, frequency, and distance of residents’ travel for both work and non-work trips to find mobility options suitable to meet residents’ needs. These surveys and interviews helped County of San Diego staff understand the socio-economic challenges faced by residents of these communities, establish an understanding of commute travel patterns, and inform residents of the benefits of clean mobility options.
Outreach & Engagement Strategies
- Multilingual surveys
- Multilingual staff
- Presentations
- In-person and online community meetings
- Community Planning Group
- Social media
- Local news media
- Coordination with community-based organizations
- Partnerships with local advisory and advocacy groups
Target Populations
- Undocumented
- Non-English households
- Low-income
- Older adults
- Commuters
- Less than college education
- Non-English speakers
Partnership Structure
Voucher Recipient
The County of San Diego’s Sustainability Planning Division develops and implements projects to reduce community wide greenhouse gas emissions, advance zero-emission vehicles, conserve natural and biological resources, and other programs. Through these efforts, the County engages in climate action planning and clean mobility programs that prioritize transportation emissions reductions (e.g., planning for alternative transportation, zero-emissions vehicles, reducing vehicle miles traveled).
Contacts
Ricky Williams and Steven “Chad” Spoon | (619) 679-4604 | County of San Diego