Making Transportation Work for Everyone

The N.C. Department of Transportation has developed web-based tools that display data to illustrate the disproportionate impact transportation barriers have on communities of color. These tools were created to help inform decisions aimed at improving disadvantaged communities’ transportation access and mobility. These tools are the basis for policies that address environmental justice and transportation disadvantage.       

 The Environmental Justice, or EJ, tool responds to a variety of federal protections such as  TitleVI of the Civil Rights Act  and  ExecutiveOrder 12898 . The EJ tool focuses on low-income and racial/ethnic minorities, the prime environmental justice indicators identified in the executive order. The tool is not specific to transportation, but instead focuses on federally protected demographics.

 The Transportation Disadvantage Index, or TDI, tool is a customized approach to support a high-level assessment of equity impacts. The TDI tool focuses on race (Black, Indigenous and persons of color), income, personal vehicle access, people with mobility impairments, the elderly, youth, and populations with Limited English Proficiency. The TDI tool allows users to see where transportation disadvantaged communities potentially exist and to compare the needs of neighboring communities.

Transportation barriers and disadvantage may occur at the intersection of the following factors:

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, environmental justice, or EJ, is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin or income with respect to the development, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations and policies.

For the N.C. Department of Transportation, environmental justice focuses on identifying and addressing potentially disproportionately high and adverse human health or environmental effects from transportation projects on minority and low-income populations.

 This map identifies areas with higher proportions of protected populations by symbolizing the EJ index score for each U.S. Census block group in the state. The EJ index score is based on the relative concentration of three population groups in each block group:

Each block group is scored between 0-4 for each population category, based on U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey Data (2020, 5-year estimate). The scores for each block group are summarized to produce a cumulative EJ index score ranging from 0 – 12. Higher scores convey greater concentrations of protected populations relative to other areas in the state.

EJ Statewide Map

Improving transportation access for all North Carolinians is vital to ensuring everyone is able to reach necessary goods, services, and employment, particularly for those without other means of transportation.

The Transportation Disadvantage Index, or TDI, was calculated for each block group to identify concentrations of populations that face barriers to accessing transportation.

This map identifies areas with higher proportions of disadvantaged populations by symbolizing the TDI score for each block group in the state. The TDI is a composite score based on seven indicators of potential transportation disadvantage:

Each U.S. Census block group is scored between 1-3 for each population category, based on U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey data (2020, 5-year estimate). The scores for each block group are then weighted to reduce double counting and summarized to produce a cumulative score ranging from 0 - 21. Higher scores convey a greater level of transportation disadvantage compared to other areas in the state.

TDI Statewide Map

The Environmental Justice, or EJ, dashboard allows you to view where environmental justice populations are concentrated in a specific, targeted geographic area. This dashboard also calculates a dynamic score based on the relative concentration of those populations in that selected area.

You can select an N.C. Department of Transportation division, county, metropolitan planning organization or rural planning organization to generate an EJ index score specific to that geography of analysis.

The Transportation Disadvantage Index, or TDI, dashboard allows you to view where transportation disadvantaged populations are concentrated in a specific, targeted geographic area. This dashboard also calculates a dynamic TDI score based on the relative concentration of those populations in that selected area.

 You can select a N.C. Department of Transportation division, county, metropolitan planning organization or rural planning organization to generate a TDI score specific to that geography of analysis.

Environmental Justice Data:  Environmental Justice Data - Overview (arcgis.com) 

Transportation Disadvantage Index Data:  Transportation Disadvantage Index Data - Overview (arcgis.com)