Will MegaInvestment Produce EquitableResults - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
1 / 16
Title:
Will MegaInvestment Produce EquitableResults
Description:
Encouraged state and local governments to invest in public ... Encouraging ... is one approach to encourage engagement. Organize & Mobilize first ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation
Number of Views:59
Avg rating:3.0/5.0
Title: Will MegaInvestment Produce EquitableResults
1
Will Mega-Investment Produce Equitable-Results?
- Lance Freeman
- Columbia University
- June 11, 2009
2
Transforming Communities
- The ARC Tunnel has the potential to transform
communities - Quicker Access to Regions Core
- Expands commuting capacity in North and Central
NJ - Introduces some redundancy into transit network
3
Beyond Accessibility
- Environmental Benefits
- Economic Development
- Construction of tunnel will create jobs
- Enhanced access along transit corridors may spur
additional development. Ex. - Research has found that rail stations encourage
residential development (Bowes and Ihlandfeldt
2001) - A Masters thesis at Columbia University found
that property values along Midtown direct lines
rose after rail access to Midtown improved
4
The Opportunity and Threat
- Rising property Values and New Development
- A boon for local communities tax base
- Could also exacerbate existing patterns of
segregation and poverty concentration - Poor could be pushed out of neighborhoods
abutting affected rail lines - Alternatively, could be an opportunity to build
affordable and moderately priced housing in
expanding areas
5
Development Without Community Engagement
- Without meaningful participation some communities
may feel marginalized and cynical about new
development and improvements - Research I conducted in New York City in two
gentrifying neighborhoods found a large amount of
alienation and cynicism despite development that
ostensibly benefited the community
6
Powers that be
- The parks are becoming cleaner, theyre becoming
safer. There are a lot of Caucasians living here
now so they have to make them cleaner and safer
for them.
7
Improvements for them
- I mean, you see maybe a more police presence, but
thats for them. Thats not really for the older
residents. It sorta is a slap in the face,
because you should have been getting that prior
to people coming in.
8
Improvements for them
- Lance Do you have a sense of why theyre trying
to clean up the neighborhood now as opposed to in
the past? - Respondent Its for the white people. Obviously,
I mean its not for us.
9
Equitable Development
- Equitable outcomes come about when smart,
intentional strategies are put in place to ensure
that low-income communities and communities of
color participate in and benefit from decisions
that shape their neighborhoods and
regionsPolicyLink www.policylink.org
10
The Challenge of Equitable Development
- How to make sure marginalized communities benefit
from and help shape development/redevelopment
stemming from ARC - Linking construction to workforce development
- Affordable Housing
- Engaging Community
11
Providing Opportunity
- Transportation Equity Network is an example of an
initiative that aims to connect marginalized
groups to transportation infrastructure jobs - Engages in advocacy and outreach to connect
marginalized groups to employment opportunities
in infrastructure development - Affiliates have
- Helped persuade infrastructure projects to set
aside jobs for community residents - Encouraged state and local governments to invest
in public transportation
12
Affordability and displacement
- Promote affordable homeownership
- Targeted subsidies
- Inclusionary zoning in areas abutting ARC
corridors - TIF in ARC affected zones
- Increments in property taxes stemming from rising
property values set aside for affordable housing - Preferences for LIHTC in once affordable
neighborhoods experiencing price inflation
13
Encouraging Community Engagement
- Community engagement as an antidote to cynicism
and a means of encouraging meaningful community
engagement - Traditional public hearings are often unwelcoming
to younger people, more recent immigrants, and
others who have not typically been involved in
local politics (Rodriguez 2008).
14
Community Engagement
- Community mobilization is one approach to
encourage engagement - Organize Mobilize first
- Dudley Street Initiative (Boston, MA)
- Industrial Areas Foundation
- Goal is to empower residents to act on their own
behalf - Community mobilizing
- Galvanizes residents
- Empowers residents
- Residents will take ownership of the planning
process and feel they have a stake in new
development
15
Community Engagement
- Massachusetts has implemented youMove
Massachusetts as a means of engaging residents in
the planning process. This effort includes
community activists, planners and policy makers.
The goal was to identify areas where the States
transportation system was not meeting the needs
of residents. - The end result was 700 individual comments, which
led to the development of 10 organizing themes to
guide the prioritization of future infrastructure
investments. - The framework is being used to guide the
expenditure of stimulus monies. - (Fox and Rice 2009).
16
Conclusion
- If we want the ARC Tunnel to have an equitable
impact at least three items should be considered - Employment opportunities for marginalized groups
- Expanding affordable housing opportunities around
affected
Recommended
CrystalGraphics Presentations
