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Conclusion
The TCSP grant workshop proved to be a great success. It provided an opportunity to discuss the TCSP program and to further shape its direction. The workshop served as a forum for exchanging information on the FY1999 projects and on sustainable development issues in general. The introductory speeches supplied a summary of sustainable development and how it related to the TCSP program. The plenary sessions introduced different aspects of the TCSP program to an attentive audience. The four tracks provided a means through which those in attendance could present, exchange, and promote their ideas. In the "Best Practices-Presentations of TCSP projects" track, twenty-three of the TCSP grant recipients had a chance to demonstrate their activities. The "Partnering: 'Our Town,' a Dialogue for Livable Communities" track connected applicants with a network of traditional and non-traditional transportation partners to promote effective public involvement and participation strategies. The "Building the Knowledge Base" track brought attendees together to discuss methods of project evaluation. The "Leveraging Opportunities" track connected the TCSP with other Federal programs to advertise additional available resources. By bringing the grant recipients together, the conference facilitated the formation of peer networks for the continuing exchange of ideas.
The following common themes, which are central to TCSP, were expressed throughout the conference.
- The benefits of regional coordination in planning
- The value of non-traditional partners in project development
- The importance of communities as parts of a metropolitan or state planning strategy
- The importance of people in shaping their community's vision of the future.
- The merit of performing accurate and detailed evaluations to determine an action's level of success and to provide ideas to a national audience.
- The advantages of leveraging resources to provide adequate funding for proposals.
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