Toward a More Inclusive and Equitable City: International Case Studies

Progress towards ending poverty, social inclusion, and opportunity for all through place-based programs and land policy is most likely to proceed through innovation at the local level and diffusion of these successful policies to other cities and regions. These are the preliminary findings of a project launched by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy on inclusive and equitable cities in 2017. Scholars, practitioners, and advocates explored the concept of the equitable city, and how progress toward more equitable cities can be measured. The workshop established a foundation for research on equitable cities, centered upon the need for meaningful indicators of equity applicable across geographic scale and international contexts. The project is continuing by identifying programs and policies in selected cities that further urban equity and inclusion; analysing their design, efficacy and transferability; and disseminating our findings across the globe.

This proposed Networking Event will serve as a vehicle for sharing preliminary information, identifying additional innovative efforts, and forming a network of researchers, public officials, practitioners, and advocates committed to promoting urban equity and inclusivity. The Event will begin with a presentation by the project team of preliminary case studies in North America, Latin America, and Europe. These case studies from cities, regions, and other subnational governments, will demonstrate how housing policies, spatial plans, municipal budgeting processes, transportation investments, and other place-based policies can further urban equity and inclusion. The Event will also include facilitated discussions exploring how such case studies can offer useful lessons for other local governments, collecting examples of other promising programs adopted by local governments across the globe. Model policies identified at the Event will be added to a digital case study library being developed by the Institute. This library will serve as a universally accessible database of case studies of land policies addressing urban development goals.