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Livable Communities Newsletter
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Welcome to Our Summer 2020 Livable Communities Newsletter
We are in a revolution!! These last 6 months have been nothing short of that. This is not true for just a couple of isolated area or topics, but in general across all walks of life. Some aspects of the revolution have been like technology, where we knew we were going to change over the next decade, but now we are changing over in a matter of months, not years. Other aspects of the revolution were more surprising. Could any of us have predicted the rapid and comprehensive changes in social order and public policy that are being proposed for policing and justice reform?
So it is fitting that this quarter’s Livable Communities Newsletter explores some of the key aspects of the revolution:
1. What if we stopped being driven by Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and ran our country with a tool for providing essentials such as food, water, energy, housing, healthcare, education, and social justice without damaging the earth’s life support systems such as climate, soils, ozone layer, oceans, air, and biodiversity?
2. What if we all grasped the real significance of the Black Lives Matter movement and supported the changes required to eliminate imbalances and injustices in society, whether systemic or the result of unconscious bias?
3. What if we really get serious about public transportation in the name of social justice and truly focus on equity, not equality? As you will see, there is an important difference!
Thanks,
Stacy Roscoe |
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The Doughnut of Social and Planetary Boundaries (2017)
by Stacy Roscoe
If you want ensure that all of the earth’s people receive life’s essentials within the capability of our planet to provide them, have a doughnut: Kate Raworth’s Doughnut of social and planetary boundaries.
This concept gives us a tool for providing essentials such as food, water, energy, housing, healthcare, education, and social justice without damaging the earth’s life support systems such as climate, soils, ozone layer, oceans, air, and biodiversity.
You must watch this 1 minute 26 second snapshot of how this revolutionary approach works (turn up your volume):
If you like what you have seen, invest another 6.5 minutes to see how the Doughnut is being successfully applied around the world. This is not just a theory, it is a working model:
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The Three E’s: for the Greater Good
by Kerry Roscoe
A strong economy needs healthy, educated people from all walks of life to be both producers and consumers. To be healthy and educated, one needs access to adequate medical care, good schools, nutritious food, safe housing and a clean environment. Furthermore, that access needs to be equitable. That’s what the Three E’s (economy, environment, and social equity) are all about. When anything in that balance is off, the system is not as productive as it should be.
If we have learned anything from the Covid-19 pandemic and the concurrent “Black Lives Matter” movement, it is how totally tied together these elements are. We have all had to make sacrifices, some of us more accepting of that than others. People’s lives and livelihoods have been threatened, and many are pushed to the limit with these sacrifices, but we need to do this for the greater good.
Sacrifice means change. Change means sacrifice. None of this is easy, but America was built on hard work. Some sacrificed. Some were sacrificed. America was built on the labor of free immigrants and unwilling slaves. People worked hard, but under very different circumstances. Not everyone started from the same point. Over the centuries there have been concerted efforts to keep the playing field uneven. The past months of social unrest have brought this inequity to the fore. The disparity among zip codes in the numbers of confirmed cases and deaths is evident in the data. Poorer, often times minority, neighborhoods have been hit disproportionately hard. Add to that the stark images of disrespect for another human being, fatally exercised by some in power, and that societal inequity becomes even more impossible to ignore.
This generation did not create the systems under which we operate, and while we had hoped progress made with the Civil Rights movement would keep moving things forward, we have unconsciously perpetuated that system by thinking we had achieved the goals of equality when social inequities still persist. Unless they change, these systems will continue to perpetuate these inequities.
It is time to rethink many things. We have unconscious biases because we have been raised and operate in a system that not only favors those who “have” but also inherently inhibits those who “have not.” It is time to change the paradigm.
It is said that a rising tides raises all boats, but what if your boat is really old with holes or rot? What if the guy who sold you the boat cheated you? What if no matter how hard you worked you could never afford to fix the boat? That boat wouldn’t rise like the others. What if you needed training or the loan of tools to fix your boat but no one would help, even though others with the very nice boats were assisted as they made their boats even better?
There is a poignant Langston Hughes poem, “A Dream Deferred,” that asks
What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore–
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over–
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?
So many people work hard all their lives and have little to show for it because of the imbalances and injustices in society, whether systemic or the result of unconscious bias. Their energy and drive are wasted when that could be used to help themselves and society as a whole prosper. Anger and frustration are the natural consequences.
Social equity is not a “handout,” nor should it be viewed as a “hand up.” It is reaching across the community to make sure everyone has access to the same things that can empower them be the best they can be, to achieve, and to contribute to society. It is being a community, saying we believe in each other’s ability to accomplish and working together to do so.
We need to rethink our systems and our attitudes. If change is uncomfortable or hard, then that is the sacrifice that has to be made. We’re Americans; we can do it.
If not now, when?
It’s time to sacrifice for the greater good.
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Advancing Equity in Transportation Planning
by Vanessa Rauschenberger
In every community, local values related to transportation planning, from deciding which streets to pave, to adding bus routes and bikes lanes, not only shape how we get around, but also how people benefit in different and sometimes unfair ways. This is an uncomfortable topic to write about as a planner because the professional planning field I am part of has a played part in contributing to the unfairness and inequity in cities that exists today. In particular, ingrained discriminatory and racist practices (like redlining and dividing neighborhoods with highways) have contributed to systemic inequity over many decades. Current practices, which include community involvement processes, often reward more affluent residents. Plans that reinforce stigmas about people who live in certain neighborhoods or use certain modes of travel are unfortunately still present in our field.
To reverse that history, as planners we will need to make a conscious effort to look at our current practices and take the time to consider more in-depth who should benefit from projects and plans. This includes educating ourselves on the impacts of the past and potential future impacts of decisions we make today.
As planners and decision makers try to work to include more voices, one challenge we have to overcome is the way that we get input from the community. Many decisions and views are influenced by who participates in meetings, who writes to us in letters, or who makes phone calls to us and our community leaders. As a result, many times we end up prioritizing projects that may overlook the needs of those who are too busy working multiple jobs, have limited English and who aren’t able to participate in traditional public input processes. By asking questions about how plans will take equity into consideration and pushing to use more objective data, staff can use data, tools and other resources to help create more equitable plans and outcomes.
Title VI Compliance is Just a Starting Point
In the transit planning realm, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) requires that transit providers comply with the Civil Rights Act of 1964, also known in the industry as Title VI. Title VI aims to protect people from discrimination based on race, color, and national origin in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance, such as transit. To comply with Title VI, every three years transit agencies prepare a Title VI report that documents how services are distributed in the community, and demonstrates that the impact of any changes to fares and facilities have been considered. Federal regulations also require transit operators to take reasonable steps to ensure that Limited English Proficient (LEP) persons have meaningful access to their programs and activities. This means that public participation opportunities, normally provided in English, are accessible to persons who have a limited ability to speak, read, write, or understand English. One example of this in practice is sending staff to transit centers, conducting on-board surveys, and making phone calls to customers using bilingual staff vs. holding traditional public meetings.
While compliance with Title VI is a minimum goal, it doesn’t keep transportation planning agencies from making decisions that result in unfair and unequal benefits to communities. Spending decisions on individual transportation modes, when made in isolation from the entirety of modes, can create inequities. Decisions to spend on projects that improve travel for a small number of high-income suburban (affluent) commuters while under-spending on services for lower income people of color can often be overlooked, especially when they aren’t compared by the same review process. As Steven Higashide and Hayley Richardson wrote in Voices of the Governing Institute’s article “Transit Equity Starts at Home, Not in Washington,” a group of Bay Area advocates cited Title VI to try to stop the San Francisco region’s Bay Area Rapid Transit from building a half-billion-dollar rail connection to Oakland’s airport. Advocates argued that the airport project was the wrong priority during the depths of the economic recession, when bus fares were rising and service was being cut throughout the Bay Area. To read more about this, the full article is linked here: https://www.governing.com/gov-institute/voices/col-transit-equity-fairness-title-VI.htmlTOOL #1 – Using Data to Predict Who Benefits from Decisions
While all of Ventura County’s transit providers comply with the Title VI requirements, the main focus of Title VI is meant to limit further harm to people of color. It does not require transit agencies to go above and beyond to proactively advance or achieve equity outcomes. Doing that will require that community leaders and decision makers decide to adopt policies which affirm the need of including equity in planning and policy making. Looking at transportation planning with an equity focus means acknowledging that there is unfairness built into our decision making processes. To change this, we need policies that require the use of data and GIS mapping tools to help visualize impacts of decisions and how decisions effect people of color and disadvantaged groups. An example of this is using software tools to help visualize Census data. More equity planning tools can be found on the American Planning Association’s Equity Resource page and https://www.planning.org/resources/equity/
Equity in Practice Example – Gold Coast Transit District Transit Facility Site
When Gold Coast Transit District in Oxnard CA was in the early stages of planning for a relocation to a new bus yard in 2011, an equity analysis for potential facility site options was completed. The analysis, required by Title VI, used Census data to evaluate potential impacts of the proposed sites for the new facility. Site selection for the new facility was guided by criteria focused on relocating the old facility away from its location that is within a minority and low-income residential neighborhood. GCTD sought a site that minimized effects on residential communities by only considering light industrial use zoned sites. This reduced the burden to the local neighborhood and ensured that the effects of the operating facility would not create a disparate impact on the basis of race, color, or national origin.
TOOL #2 – Encouraging more Inclusive Transportation Planning
A report from the non-profit advocacy group TransitCenter called “Inclusive Transit: Advancing Equity Through Improved Access & Opportunity” includes six recommendations for planners and decision makers to consider to help address racism, and improve low-income and minority communities. The report recommendations were based on working with national social justice advocates, scholars, and local and community-based transit advocates across the U.S. Full report can be found here: https://transitcenter.org/publication/inclusive-transit-advancing-equity-improved-access-opportunity/ Also, part of the report includes links to videos and examples of equity in different transportation planning processes.
Equity in Practice Example – City of Oakland’s Equity Based Repaving Plan
In 2015, the City of Oakland passed a city ordinance that resulted in greater understanding of the racial disparities in the city and lead to the creation of the City’s Department of Race and Equity. The Department goals include to: 1) eliminate systemic causes of racial disparities in City Government, 2) promote inclusion and full participation for all residents of the City, and 3) reduce race-based disparities in our communities. To learn more about Oakland’s Department of Race and Equity here: https://www.oaklandca.gov/departments/race-and-equity. An example of how the City incorporated equity into its processes was the City of Oakland’s Department of Transportation using a more fair process for prioritizing streets for repaving that “didn’t depend on someone attending a meeting, calling their councilmember, or writing a petition.” The city, through staff and leaders using an equity lens, adopted a paving plan that used “objective citywide data to prioritize streets using equity factors, street condition, and traffic safety.” The plan recognized that the impact of an expensive car repair is negative for all drivers, but for low-income families it can be disastrous. OakDOT final plan prioritized funding for paving both by road condition and by the proportion of residents in a neighborhood who are in underserved communities. TOOL #3 – Questions to Ask to Advance Equity Goals
To understand the difference between “equality” and “equity” we need to recognize that while equality sounds fair, equity is fair. A way for decision makers to advance goals of fairness and equity in transportation planning is to ask these questions on a regular basis: “Who benefits from or is burdened by this decision?” and “How does this help or hinder racial equity in our city or region?” These questions are difficult and will take work to answer depending on the specific cases and circumstances. However, if fairness is a goal, these questions matter. Who is more likely to show up at a meeting and make a request? Who will be listened to, and who will continue to be left out of the process? How will that hinder our communities in the long run? How will advancing equity help make our communities more livable for all?
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A Special Thank You Goes to Our State of the Region Report Sponsors:
Research Sponsor –
Ventura County Community Foundation
Presenting Sponsor –
Ventura County Community College District
Domain Sponsors –
AERA
AT&T
California Lutheran University – Center for Economics of Social Issues
California State University Channel Islands
County of Ventura
Haas Automation Inc.
Limoneira
Montecito Bank & Trust
Supporting Sponsors –
Gold Coast Transit
The Port of Hueneme
United Staffing Associates
Ventura County Coastal Association of Realtors
VCDSA – Ventura County Deputy Sheriff’s Association
Ventura County Office of Education
Ventura County P-20 Council
Contributing Sponsors –
California Lutheran University Center for Nonprofit Leadership
SESPE Consulting Inc.
Ventura County Credit Union
Ventura County Transportation Commission
Friend Sponsors –
Dyer Sheehan Group, Inc.
David Maron
Ferguson Case Orr Paterson LLP
Kate McLean
Slover Memorial Fund
Stacy and Kerry Roscoe
Terri & Mark Lisigor
United Way of Ventura County
Media Sponsor –
Pacific Coast Business Times
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