Equity + Placemaking in the Capital Region

Course Details

As American cities and metropolitan regions change rapidly, many residents, especially people of color and people living in poverty, are faced with high costs of living, challenges accessing resources, and displacement, both physical and cultural. Historically, investments and place initiatives have been developed without input from those who are affected most. Residents of Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., have been acutely affected, and organizations in each of those jurisdictions are developing equity practices that include, preserve, and celebrate the region’s vast diversity.

Presenters discuss projects including:

• The National Landing Business Improvement District’s Equity Forward Action Plan and all the projects — completed and planned — that have come from it;
• The Prince George’s County Planning Department’s Placemaking Around Town Program; and
• The Congress Heights Small Area Plan — the D.C. government’s first equity-based area plan.

Panelists review each initiative and discuss lessons learned, the importance of choosing projects that address inequality, strategies for incorporating inclusive engagement practices and level-setting, and perspectives on developing initiatives that produce outcomes that benefit disenfranchised residents.

Learning Outcomes

• Build a coalition with policy makers, the private sector, local businesses, residents, and others to implement equitable placemaking.
• Learn various ways, both large and small, to enact equitable placemaking initiatives in your community.
• Learn how to create an equity plan for placemaking.