Stories of Philanthropic Leadership in Advancing Regional and ...

social justice issues as they relate to land use decisions. 3The regional and neighborhood equity movementstrives to connect people- and place-based strategies torevitalize the physical environment of distressedcommunities and improve the lives of the people wholive there. The movement is based on an analysis thatrecognizes that current development patterns are not thenatural result of the free market economy. Rather, theyflow from public policies that have provided powerfulincentives for suburban growth at the expense of centralcities, older suburbs, rural communities, and their lowincomeresidents. Access to quality education, decenthousing, jobs, and services can only be achieved bychanging the way resources, investments, andopportunities are allocated throughout regions.During the past five years, PolicyLink—working withthe Funders’ Network—has promoted equitabledevelopment as a framework for achieving regionaland neighborhood equity. Equitable development isguided by the following principles:• Integrate People- and Place-FocusedStrategies. Advance development andrevitalization policies and practices that integratepeople-focused strategies such as efforts thatsupport community residents and families withplace-focused strategies that stabilize and improvethe neighborhood environment.• Reduce Local and Regional Disparities. Craftsolutions that simultaneously improve outcomesfor low-income communities and build healthymetropolitan regions. Metropolitan areas that paysystematic attention to both regional growth andcentral city, suburban, and rural poverty issues aremore likely to be competitive for national andinternational economic opportunities. A successfulregion is comprised by successful neighborhoods.• Promote Double Bottom Line Investments.Seek public and private investments that offer fairfinancial returns for investors and communitybenefits for residents (e.g., jobs, homes, businesses).• Ensure Meaningful Community Participation,Leadership, and Ownership. For communityresidents and organizations to become fullyengaged in impacting development decisions,they must have access to the tools, knowledge,and resources that can guarantee meaningfulparticipation.Using these equitable development principles asguides, this report organizes stories about effectiveinitiatives into three cross-cutting themes:Promoting Equitable Public InvestmentPublic investment decisions ultimately determine thequality of transit systems, the condition of publicschools and facilities, and the presence of parks andopen space in communities. Too often, policymakers failto consider the impact of investment decisions on lowincomecommunities. Using public investments topromote regional and neighborhood equity is becomingan important strategy among social justice advocates.Advocates are taking a particular interest in a growingcommunity benefits movement and in promotingequitable infrastructure investments at the state level.Making All Neighborhoods Stable, Healthy,and LivableThe movements for regional and neighborhoodequity and smarter growth believe that everyneighborhood should have a healthy quality of lifethat provides opportunities for each resident to beconnected to regional opportunities. This requiresthat each neighborhood have a minimum standard oflivability below which no community falls. Yetcreating opportunity-rich neighborhoods withamenities and services does not necessarily mean thatequity is achieved in a region. When a neighborhoodin a region experiences economic growth andbecomes more attractive to outsiders, it can threatenthe stability of low-income communities and thelivelihood of residents as the threat of displacementand increased cost of living become harsh realities.Advocates are working to connect neighborhoodresidents to opportunities that extend beyond theneighborhood’s geographic area, while avoidinggentrification and displacement.Connecting to Regional OpportunityIn addition to making each neighborhood healthy andlivable, residents need access to opportunities thatextend beyond the neighborhood’s geographicboundaries. People need to be able to live in housingthat provides a wealth of opportunities as well as haveequal access to regional opportunities such as jobs andhealth care through transportation options. Lowincomefamilies who reside in affordable housing close3Carl Anthony is acting director, Community and ResourceDevelopment Unit, Ford Foundation; Angela Glover Blackwell isfounder and CEO, PolicyLink; Manuel Pastor is director, Center forJustice, Tolerance, and Community at the University of California, SantaCruz; and john powell is director, Kirwin Institute on Race andEthnicity, Moritz College of Law, The Ohio State University (johnpowell does not use capital letters in his name).Part I: Introduction4