By Michael A. Spotts
On September 29, 2021 the Urban Land Institute Terwilliger Center for Housing and Curtis Infrastructure Initiative released a report on equitable investment in infrastructure and housing, informed by the 2021 ULI Shaw Symposium. The Shaw Symposium is an annual forum endowed by former ULI chairman Charles “Charlie” H. Shaw that brings together a selection of leading national experts and practitioners to address the challenges and opportunities of urban neighborhoods. The 2021 virtual event focused on the nexus of infrastructure, housing, and equity.
As the United States begins to emerge from a tumultuous year, Congress debates a series of infrastructure packages, and communities increasingly shift their focus to recovery, it is important to look to the future informed by the knowledge of the past. Many of the challenges facing today’s cities and neighborhoods are linked to the decisions made decades ago. These decisions include positive, transformational investments in transit, parks, and other community assets that have been critical to restoring urban vibrancy. However, they also include the disastrous legacy of redlining, segregation, and the intentional dismantling of neighborhoods—all of which have produced generational harm for minority households and Black families in particular. A new, more equitable approach to regional planning and investment is critical, not only because it is morally just, but also because it is a key aspect of economic growth and opportunity. As such, a distinguished group of 2021 Shaw Symposium attendees elevated leading practices that have informed this summary report, which includes high-level recommendations and a framework to assist local communities in designing and implementing infrastructure investments.
The ten key takeaways from the summary report include:
Prior models of planning, financing, building, and maintaining the core components of our communities had fundamental flaws;
There is a need for repair in our built environment, focusing both on the physical elements as well as restorative equity;
The status quo model of housing and infrastructure investment must evolve to meet new challenges;
The concept of infrastructure is evolving and full spectrum housing opportunities are a necessary component of a modern infrastructure strategy;
The different elements of the built environment should be viewed as interconnected systems;
Adaptation and resilience are critical components of future systems;
The future of many regions and communities strongly resembles our cities of the past;
Suburban areas can and should become more equitable and sustainable;
The scale of the intervention needs to meet the scale of the challenge; and
The time for action is now.