REIMAGINE neighborhood design & development
When we reimagine our neighborhoods…
We imagine growth and change in our communities as environmentally just, sustainable and equitable, ensuring vitality and a thriving planet for generations to come and directly confronting the racially discriminatory history of housing, zoning, and economic development policies in our communities. We imagine transit and infrastructure that is clean, efficient, universally accessible and reduces our impact on the natural environment. We imagine that every resident of our communities has a place to call home and that it is the role of government at all levels to advance safe, stable, and affordable housing. We imagine that decisions about growth and development should be made in deep collaboration with community members and grounded in advancing racial and economic equity. We imagine development projects and significant investments that prioritize community and environmental benefits over profit to increase our collective ability to thrive.
Design and development are fundamental to how we experience our neighborhoods and we continue to live with the devastating impacts of historic decisions regarding land-use and zoning - such as segregation, redlining, and highway construction. Decisions on where development goes, what it looks like and how fast it happens, where we place industry, how we plan for transit corridors to ensure connectivity and mobility, and how we expand access to healthy food are all a result of how we imagine, design and plan in our communities.
Here are ten examples of the work already being done, laying the foundation for a more just and equitable future:
the work continues.
As we continue this work, we must constantly ask ourselves what we can do, and we must ask and engage with our constituents and communities to meet the needs they have.
Our framework seeks to answer these questions and pushes us to continue asking ourselves about what we want our future to look like:
What would our cities and towns physically look like if we centered the goal of strong and thriving communities?
How can we center equity and access in mobility, so that everyone has the freedom to move or safely stay?
How can we pilot and scale alternative models for community-driven development that are grounded in the needs of communities, instead of profits for the private sector?
How do we prioritize racial equity, an end to displacement, and dignified homes for all as we design our neighborhoods?
How do we center communities directly impacted by decades of climate injustice as we foster a just transition to increase resilience and sustainability in our localities?
additional resources
Public policy can be a tool for advancing equity and justice. Here are additional resources from the Local Progress policy book that address a range of ideas and issues that are essential for creating thriving communities:
KEEP EXPLORING
Dare to Reimagine showcases more than 50 policy wins and organizing efforts across 22 states and DC that are moving us towards a more just and equitable future.