Equitable infrastructure to bridge divides

Divisive infrastructure has had long-term damage, both tangible and intangible, on Black and Brown communities. While we are beginning to see policies, programs, and funding to combat the destructive legacies of past decision-making, work remains and barriers to finding solutions exist. This panel will discuss how street design, community engagement, and a holistic approach to … Continued

Advancing Racial Equity Events

Harnessing data and lived experiences for safe streets

To provide a practical response to the information presented in Dangerous By Design, a Smart Growth America report that identifies unsafe road design as the main culprit in rising pedestrian deaths, this panel will explore a unique partnership between WABA, Howard University, and local high school students to address traffic violence before it happens through … Continued

Advancing Racial Equity Events

Cultural organizing as reclamation and resistance

Learn from cultural organizing groups from community-based organizations across the country working to preserve commercial corridors and community centers through arts and culture outside of historic urban ethnic enclaves. BIPOC/immigrant community members will find effective cultural community organizing strategies to build power and renegotiate exclusionary, top-down, community planning processes. Panelists will also discuss national initiatives … Continued

Advancing Racial Equity Events

Building momentum: Lessons from frontline advocates & government leaders

Structural racism in land use, infrastructure, and lending policies have physically divided and damaged communities of color and denied generations opportunities for wealth-building. Frontline community and advocacy organizations, frequently led by people of color, have fought these discriminatory practices and policies as well as their de facto effects for years, often with little support from … Continued

Advancing Racial Equity Events

Moving within this moment: Strategies for overcoming structural barriers

Efforts to advance equity in today’s environment face major structural setbacks, including the recent Supreme Court decision overturning affirmative action and reduced corporate commitment to DEI. Panelists representing a range of fields, including transportation, housing, and the civic sector, will reflect on how they are continuing to center equity in the face of these challenges. … Continued

Advancing Racial Equity Events

What to expect at the 2024 Equity Summit

The Equity Summit is more than a conference. It’s a time to connect movement leaders, identify key needs within the field, and build a community of mutual support and encouragement among practitioners who may be discouraged by resistance to meaningful progress. Here’s what you can expect. Over the course of our two-day program, participants will … Continued

Advancing Racial Equity Events

Vision is a verb: Looking back at our first Complete Streets Power Hour

Our new webinar series brings together advocates and implementers to discuss how to advance Complete Streets in their communities. At our first Power Hour, we spoke with two implementers and one advocate from Minnesota about how they’ve gone about establishing a north star for Complete Streets in the North Star State. As it turns out, it’s all about the process.

Complete Streets Events

Smart Growth Means Accessibility: SGA Attends Disability Economic Justice Collaborative Anniversary Celebration

Inaccessibility in society often means that disabled people simply don’t have the same opportunities as their non-disabled counterparts. Barriers make something as simple as leaving the house difficult, and sometimes impossible; often leaving disabled people cut off from society. Despite being more likely to rely on public transportation, one of the biggest mobility challenges cited … Continued

Advocacy Events

Staff takeaways from the 2023 Equity Summit

Last month, Smart Growth America hosted our third annual Equity Summit. The three days of virtual programming held space for thought leaders and practitioners in the planning space to gather and ensure that racial equity is a key priority in any smart growth approach. Each of the three days was concentrated on a specific smart … Continued

Advancing Racial Equity Events