ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of the academic and applied understandings of how justice might best be achieved in the domain of transportation. The emphasis is on the US experience because of its fraught transportation policy and planning history, the subsequent creation of federal laws and regulations focused on public involvement and justice, and the emergence of advocacy and philanthropic organizations aimed at meaningful legal and regulatory enforcement. The chapter outlines the academic evidence on environmental injustice in transportation related to three dimensions: inequitable access to participation in the planning process; inequitable exposure to localized environmental burdens; and inequitable distribution of the benefits of transportation investments and systems. It also addresses how justice or fairness should be conceptualized along each dimension. The chapter concludes by synthesizing best practices from the academic literature, agency practice, and community activism to chart a path towards and develop an analytical framework to advance an equitable and just transportation system for the US and beyond.
