Stories of Philanthropic Leadership in Advancing Regional and ...

• Expand the range of transportation, employment,and housing choices in a fiscally responsible manner;• Promote public health and healthy communities;and• Have a unique sense of community and place. 1In theory, smart growth principles represent a blueprintfor creating vibrant, livable communities by designingcommunities that incorporate mixed uses and mixedincomes, pedestrian-friendliness, and public spaces.Yet some advocates for communities of color believethat the smart growth movement is just another namefor urban renewal policies which not only have notbenefited low-income people or communities of color,but also have led directly to gentrification anddisplacement. The smart growth movement is viewedamong many low-income communities of color as awhite environmentalist-led movement that is notconcerned with the equity and social justice issues ofthese communities. For some, the term “smartgrowth” connotes a movement that does not representthe interests of communities of color, does not placeissues of social equity and social justice at theforefront, and instead addresses private sector interestsand/or aesthetic sensibilities.The Funders’ Network—and the members of itsRegional and Neighborhood Equity Project—believesthat racial, economic, and social justice need to be at thecore of the smart growth movement, otherwise it is not“smart” growth. Truesmart growth policiesaddress equity, theTrue smart growth policies economy, and theaddress equity, the economy, environment.and the environment. Achieving authentic,sustainable progressrequires that thosewho live in low-income communities and theiradvocates be fully engaged and in positions of leadershipin the movement for smarter growth. This can onlyhappen if African American, American Indian, Latino,immigrant, and low-income communities cometogether and take ownership of their place in the smartgrowth movement, defining the issues in terms thatmake sense to them and to the society at large. Themovement for smarter growth should ensure that lowincomecommunities and communities of color are truepartners in these efforts, not an afterthought.In recent years, regional equity has emerged as the termused by social justice advocates working on land use anddevelopment issues because it fuses the best thinkingaround smart growth with an emphasis on equity and adeliberate regional framing that levels the playing fieldfor communities traditionally disconnected from landuse decisionmaking. In theory, at least, the goals ofregional equity and the smart growth movement arealmost identical. The fundamental difference is thatregional equity leads with opportunity and justice. TheFunders’ Network uses the term “regional andneighborhood equity” to emphasize that healthy regionsmust be made up of healthy neighborhoods.In the 1990s, advocates for smart growth focused onregional perspectives, but only rarely did thesediscussions lead with race and equity. In 1999, theFunders’ Network and PolicyLink worked together toproduce the first paper in the Network’s series oftranslation papers, titled, Opportunities for SmarterGrowth: Social Equity and the Smart Growth Movement. 2The release of this translation paper marked a turningpoint for both smart growth and regional andneighborhood equity advocates. Since then, the pursuitof regional and neighborhood equity has become animportant and growing part of the work of advocates forsocial and economic justice and of proponents for bettergrowth management. A growing number of advocates areemploying a range of strategies to connect low-incomecommunities and people of color to resources andopportunities available throughout metropolitan areas.The Funders’ Network and PolicyLink continue to worktogether toward a broad, shared objective: for individualsand families in all communities to participate in andbenefit from economic growth, including access to highperformingschools, decent affordable housing located inattractive neighborhoods, living wage jobs, and proximityto public transit and important amenities, such as fullservice supermarkets, banks, and parks.The Concept of Regional andNeighborhood EquityRegional and neighborhood equity advocates such asCarl Anthony, Angela Glover Blackwell, Manuel Pastor,and john powell have led the fight for civil rights and1American Planning Association (APA). “What Exactly is SmartGrowth? Planners Endorse Policies for Tomorrow’s Communities”(2002).2The Network has now published 16 translation papers (each of whichexplains the impact of decisionmaking regarding growth anddevelopment on key community or environmental issues), as well as a2 nd edition of this first translation paper, now called, Regional Equity andSmart Growth: Opportunities for Advancing Social and Economic Justice inAmerica. Each translation paper may be downloaded fromwww.fundersnetwork.org.3 Funders’ Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities