Six weeks into a new administration that has attacked the values of diversity and inclusion fundamental to equitable growth, we are inspired by the courage, commitment, and resolve of community advocates, practitioners, and city leaders standing up for justice and equity. Today’s update highlights our latest engagement in Cincinnati, upcoming webinars focused on employment equity and housing opportunity, and growing momentum for equitable development in Pittsburgh.
 
Cincinnati: An Equity Coalition is Born
Our team is thrilled to begin a new engagement in Cincinnati and Hamilton County! Since Equity Summit 2015, Cincinnati community leaders have been meeting regularly to develop an equity strategy and coalition, and have brought us on board to help them develop an actionable strategy. Last week, our team visited Cincinnati to work with the coalition, meet with neighborhood leaders in the Over-the-Rhine and West End neighborhoods, and interview a range of decision makers. The engagement is supported by the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, Interact for Health, the United Way of Greater Cincinnati, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Stay tuned for more updates as we progress toward releasing an action agenda in the fall.
 
Webinar: Targeted Strategies to Reduce Employment Inequality
Despite low unemployment rates overall, workers of color continue to face high-levels of joblessness in many cities. In response, leaders in Minneapolis and New Orleans have developed targeted strategies to connect Black workers to good jobs in growing industries. Join our webinar on Thursday, March 23, from 12:00 -12:45 p.m. PT/3:00 - 3:45 p.m. ET, to hear the findings of our recent analysis of employment inequality in metros (in partnership with the USC Program for Environmental and Regional Equity), and learn about focused jobs strategies being implemented by the Northside Funders Group in Minneapolis and the Network for Economic Opportunity in New Orleans. Register here.
 
#CitiesResist Webinar: Three Communities Implementing HUD’s Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Commitment
Join us on Thursday, April 20 from 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 p.m. PT/1:00 - 2:30 p.m. ET for the next webinar in our #CitiesResist series, produced in partnership with the Government Alliance on Racial Equity. HUD’s Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) rule, released in 2015, is a critical equitable growth policy that provides spatial data and a planning process to ensure federal investments go towards ensuring all people can live in communities of opportunity—regardless of race/ethnicity, physical ability, or family status. Learn about the status of the policy from national expert Harriet Tregoning, who oversaw the implementation of the AFFH rule while at HUD, and hear from practitioners and advocates in Philadelphia, Kansas City, and Wilmington who have already implemented the AFFH rule. Register here to learn how you can use the AFFH rule to build a stronger, more inclusive city.
 
Pittsburgh: Resilient Cities Plan, Anti-Displacement Actions Signal Commitment to Equitable Development
Today, Pittsburgh released its resilience strategy, focusing on economic and racial inequality as key stressors to address, and highlighting our equitable development work in partnership with Neighborhood Allies, Urban Innovation21, and the UrbanKind Institute as an implementation strategy. Mayor Peduto and the city continue to move forward with their commitment to housing affordability and anti-displacement, recently issuing five executive orders to implement the recommendations of the Affordable Housing Task Force, and stepping in to ask developers to help 20 remaining displaced tenants from the Penn Plaza apartment complex secure housing. Mayor Peduto’s letter said: “These residents have lived through the hard times in East Liberty, and they deserve the opportunity to live through the good times.”