Abstract: Public involvement requirements have been part of government programs for at least 20 years, pursuant to federal regulations such as the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Clean Air Act (CM), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the Federal Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA). Public participation in the development process is based on the idea that popular influence on decision making will lead to policies and programs developed in favor of community needs and aspirations. However, mass public participation can, in fact, lead to extremism unless it is well-organized and carefully planned. An important reason is that responsible planning personnel at all levels of government find it difficult to select appropriate citizen participation strategies for their particular situations. The ethnically mixed community presents a special challenge to professional planners. This challenge, on the other hand, may be a good opportunity for applied anthropologists who are particularly equipped and well-suited to contribute their expertise. This thesis explores the public involvement process in transportation planning and the ways in which anthropological knowledge can be and has been used to facilitate that process. The concept of public involvement is examined through a historical review of the innovation and development of a participatory approach in Arnerican government. Various public involvement techniques are addressed with both their applications and limits. The utilization of anthropological knowledge in participatory planning is discussed. The Charlotte County transit development project is used as a case study in how a planning agency interacts with the general public. Project tasks are evaluated to determine the effectiveness of the public involvement strategy. Foremost, my role as an applied anthropologist in that project is examined as to what anthropology can contribute to the public involvement process in transportation planning. When combined with the skills of planning, applied anthropological concepts and research methods are especially effective to articulate various factors involved in the complex planning context and function to encourage public involvement. As a result, the quality of planning activities is improved. The conclusion of this thesis is not only that participatory planning can benefit from applied anthropology, but also that both professional planners and anthropologists can join to generate a more effective public involvement strategy which would turn the obligation of participation into a productive part of the transportation planning process.