Thread by @GreaterOhio

This week's #GOPCThread provides a summary of what our staff learned & observed from participating in the 2022 #EquitySummit hosted by our friends at @SmartGrowthUSA

On Jan 11, @SmartGrowthUSA kicked off its Equity Summit w/keynote @majoracarter (Developer, Urban Revitalization Consultant, @macfound Fellow, @PeabodyAwards-winning broadcaster, & successful implementer of many economic development programs): #GOPCThread bit.ly/3GCZnFy

.@majoracarter grew up during the “Burning Bronx” & started working in community development to show people you don’t have to leave your neighborhood to have a better community. She worked w/her neighborhood to open a Hip Hop café, @BoogieDownGrind #GOPCThread #SmartGrowthEquity

.@BoogieDownGrind—created by people who populate it—shows you don’t need a community center to have a place where community thrives, grows, & sees itself represented. During COVID, it invested in its outdoors to showcase local artists’ work. #GOPCThread #SmartGrowthEquity

.@majoracarter helped transform dumps to parks, a $3M investment in her community, & hosted events @ Bronxlandia, the neighborhood’s blighted train station, to show residents what the space could be (currently fundraising for the project): #GOPCThread bit.ly/3K9Lkd0

.@majoracarter believes, instead of always playing defense against displacement, we should also work to retain communities’ existing talent by making them places to stay. Residents must be led to believe there is value in their neighborhood. #GOPCThread #SmartGrowthEquity

.@majoracarter’s recommendations for talent retention: investments in beauty, high quality built environments, commercially viable year-round social spaces, promoting community, & quality housing; strategies also important for Ohio’s communities. #GOPCThread #SmartGrowthEquity

The afternoon panel featured commentary from @myzelalem of @CatalystMiami; @garygero of @CountyofLA; Sharai Lewis-Gruss of @FirstStreetFdn; with moderation from @camille_broom of @CPEX_LA #GOPCThread #SmartGrowthEquity

From rising sea levels to extreme heat events, climate change is a hazard multiplier for historically disadvantaged communities. In #Miami, Black & Latinx residents face ‘climate gentrification’ as developers move to higher elevation land miamitimesonline.com/opinion/climat…

In #LosAngelesCounty, only half of the total population is Hispanic while making up two-thirds of the population most vulnerable to extreme heat events. These issues are tied to, and further exacerbated by, unjust land use policies #SmartGrowthEquity
latimes.com/california/sto…

The worst effects of climate change will disproportionately impact low-income and communities of color. Panelists highlighted successful strategies to collect and communicate climate risk data to historically marginalized communities. #GOPCThread #SmartGrowthEquity

.@CatalystMiami connects directly to residents thru grassroots leadership training program, providing background info on an issue, discussing potential solutions, & building advocacy tools/skills to be used in other organizing work #SmartGrowthEquity
catalystmiami.org/light

When preparing their county vulnerability assessment, #LACounty officials encountered data gaps in federal databases. To fill in missing ‘on-the-ground’ conditions, officials launched listening tours focused on reaching vulnerable populations
ceo.lacounty.gov/wp-content/upl…

To disseminate information and modeling to communities preparing for growing risks together, @FirstStreetFdn makes property-level information on flood risk freely available to the public through their Flood Factor and other mapping tools #SmartGrowthEquity
floodfactor.com

On Day 2 @SmartGrowthUSA”s Equity Summit focused on transportation & featured #Vignesh Swaminathan TikTok’s Mr. Barricade & head of #CrossroadLab as the keynote who shared his viral approach to increase popular understanding about infrastructure projects.
crossroadlab.com/single-service…

Swaminathan discussed his popular TikTok videos that mix fun dance moves with clear descriptions of infrastructure and bike and pedestrian projects and give viewers a sense of experiencing the project for themselves. #GOPCThread
sfgate.com/bikes-scooters…

Swaminathan said these videos can help normalize projects that many people aren’t already familiar with and allow them to experience it from the ease of a scroll through their social media feed. (tiktok.com)

#EquitySummit Day 2 included a panel moderated by @Regan_Felice exploring how technology can help identify and address racial inequalities as part of transportation decisions. #GOPCThread
cbcfinc.org/wp-content/upl…

.@tchu88 discussed @remix’s efforts to develop mapping and data analytics tools to support transportation decisions that address past injustices and lead to more equitable future outcomes.#GOPCThread
remix.com

Kim Lucas from @PghDOMI discussed the #MovePGH effort in #Pittsburgh where they are working to develop a transit app w/ all the city’s transportation options in one place, 50 mobility hubs, & integrate shared mobility options with existing transit service.
move-pgh.com

Bob Dean discussed @CNT_tweets experience developing analytical tools to support more equitable & sustainable communities. He shared @CNT_tweets newest tool, a manual w/ context-sensitive strategies for improving equity outcomes in the transpo. field
cnt.org/publications/t…

Day 3 of the summit featured a keynote and panel focused on equity and economic development with the theme as quoted by @andreperryedu "Equity is a stimulus. If you want to grow the economy, if you want to improve conditions, build equity."

The keynote by @SoLaImpact founder Martin Muoto focused on the group's mission to deliver superior financial returns by driving positive social change in America’s toughest neighborhoods. solaimpact.com/about-us/

.@SoLaImpact began in 2015 & has grown from a 2-man operation to 100+ employees using a data-driven approach to its investment strategy & all social impact initiatives, becoming LA’s largest Section 8 landlord & the "Nation’s Leading Opp. Zone Fund w/ an Urban Focus" @Forbes

Next was a panel discussion featuring @FACbrooklyn's Michelle de la Uz, @NALCAB Marla Bilonick & @MayorKeithJame1 of @westpalmbch discussing the importance of economic inclusion as a way to advance racial equity.

All of the panelists spoke about their experiences championing equity in their communities, the importance of engagement with the communities they work in (or serve), educating the policy makers that can impact change, and empowering people in the community.

Thank you to @SmartGrowthUSA for hosting this important dialogue & for facilitating three very important days worth of panels focused on the need to address issues of racial equity in land use + development, transportation, and economic development.