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  • “The [SCI] grant... has created a formal space and legitimacy through which this conversation about equity could occur.”

    -Bay Area regional agency employee

  •  “For the first time, our region was coordinating more on a regional level, [rather than] competing.”

    -Twin Cities advocacy organization representative

  • “We set out to establish regional standards on community engagement... now we apply it to all activites of the [regional agency].”

    -Twin Cities community-based organization employee

How Do We Achieve More Sustainable Regions?

Acknowledging and embracing the complexity of implementing sustainability policies: each region's unique configuration of interested actors and institutions needs to be "at the table."

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Deploying higher-level grants and mandates to transcend organizational "silos": when this happens, groups with different missions and goals can come together for grassroots collaboration.

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Using higher-level policy solutions to break gridlock: for example, enforcing federal rules on fair housing can increase inclusion in residential neighborhoods.

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Planning for everyone: livable cities are expensive cities, but diverse neighborhoods, family-supporting jobs, affordable transportation and resilient infrastructure that serves all residents can prevent exclusion.

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Embedding equity in planning and decision-making over the long term: sustainability programs need to ensure that regional processes make equity a key concern and give advocates tools and access to influence decision-making.

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Getting all actors to the table for meaningful participation: regions with smaller disparities in income are likelier to create structures for inclusion ("building a table"), which leads more readily to shared understandings among diverse stakeholders, rather than offering a “seat at the table.”

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Making sustainability planning sustainable: regions need comprehensive post-grant plans and resources to continue sustainability work. 

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