Urban Habitat 3.0
Urban
Habitat staff, board members, allies, and over 2000 equity advocates
from across the country gathered recently at the Equity Summit 2011
convened by PolicyLink in Detroit. There, we saw firsthand the
consequences of decades of displacement and disinvestment on such a
proud city. We heard from an array of advocates and analysts about the
challenges facing Detroit and numerous other regions across the country.
We delved into the current economic crisis and saw how people of
color—the fastest growing segment of U.S. population—are taking the
hardest hits.
We came away better informed and energized to take
on the daunting task of moving our nation toward a more fair
distribution of resources and decision-making power, and into a more
equitable growth agenda. (See RP&E 18-2) We are looking forward to
sharing those discussions and advancing that agenda at the Social Equity
Caucus' annual State of the Region Conference in the Bay Area in April
2012.
The sad truth—as evidenced by the ongoing employment crisis
and the political gridlock in Washington—is that our political and
economic systems have failed us. Progressives need to redouble efforts
to restructure these systems so that they do not punish the people who
most need services and access to opportunity. We must build support for
equitable policies that enable us all to enjoy basic human rights to
clean air, good jobs, health care, education, affordable housing, and
reliable transportation.
The Occupy ‘moment’ has opened a window
for broader public engagement by base-building groups that have been
working for years in the areas of housing foreclosures, job creation,
and equitable economic development. Here in Oakland, we have begun to
see more joint actions between Occupy and community-based organizations.
It’s clearer than ever that we need sustainable, equitable policies to
match the movement’s action energy.
Urban Habitat is building
capacity and consensus to ensure that new economic development in the
Bay Area provides affordable housing; that it is built near emerging job
centers and that public transit is frequent, reliable, and affordable.
We also need to address the fact that people of color and low-income
people do not live only in the urban core. Displacement and
gentrification have driven many of them into outer-ring suburbs. They
need the same level of attention, resources, and organizing support that
the urban cores require.
A crucial dimension of our strategy for
regional equity is Urban Habitat’s Boards and Commissions Leadership
Institute (BCLI), which identifies, trains, places, and supports
low-income people and people of color for priority boards and
commissions in the Bay Area. With 25 alumni already on local commissions
and our third graduating class moving into position, we have begun
defining “success beyond the seat” and are working on tools to support
our graduates in equitable policy alignment around the Bay Area. We need
to widen recognition of the fact that the 99 percent is increasingly
people of color and to cultivate a new generation of leadership that is
grounded in and accountable to our communities.
Urban Habitat 3.0
is about engaging a broader spectrum of voices, deepening support for
base-building community groups, and strengthening core programs on
transportation, land use, housing, health, jobs, and the environment. We
are one part of a social justice movement that is building a Bay Area
that is equitable for all. Join us!
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