Three half-day sessions for different audiences: a presentation of recent research on quantifying the benefits of CSS, an interactive workshop to apply performance measures to an FDOT CSS project, and an action planning session. Also prepared background research on existing FDOT performance measures.
The consultant team first spoke with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) staff in September 2008, when the state’s CSS “squad,” a 25-member interdisciplinary team, was working to develop a statewide CSS policy and CSS improvement plan. Following the issuance of the CSS policy on November 20, 2008, the CSS squad sought to launch an extensive education and outreach campaign to FDOT staff to promote the new policy and improve FDOT’s existing policies, procedures, programs and manuals to make them more context sensitive. FDOT staff sought technical assistance from the consultant team on a third avenue of CSS implementation, however, focusing on establishing CSS performance measures for FDOT. Staff preferred to find existing performance measures within the system and adapt them for CSS. Developing performance measures for CSS would help the department in identifying where CSS is successful, countering the idea that CSS costs more money and takes more time, improving the consistency of CSS application across the department, and connecting CSS with the quality of life of communities.
The first phase of technical assistance for FDOT consisted of collecting existing metrics with potential relevance to CSS from all functional areas of project development within FDOT. In addition to functional areas, performance measures from disciplines such as public involvement, aesthetics, ecological, sociocultural, and economic were included. The results of this research are linked under Resources below.
The second phase of technical assistance consisted of a series of sessions for FDOT staff in District 4 (Ft. Lauderdale) related to implementing CSS performance measures. The sessions were delivered on April 12 and 13, 2010 in Ft. Lauderdale as follows:
