On April 25, 2022, Mariia Zimmerman, former Principal of MZ Strategies, LLC was sworn in as the new Strategic Advisor for Technical Assistance and Community Solutions at the US Department of Transportation’s Office of the Secretary. With Mariia’s departure MZ Strategies, LLC is currently in hiatus and no longer doing client work.
Read More…MZ Strategies, LLC is shuttering its windows for the next few years beginning April 22, 2022. It’s been such an incredible privilege to work with so many incredible organizations, communities, and partners over the last 10 years. The reason for this big change though is a happy one as Founder and Principal, Mariia Zimmerman, has been asked to join the Biden-Harris Administration. More information will be forthcoming about what her new position will be, but it continues her commitment to inclusive, thriving and livable communities. Join Mariia to reflect on some of the key projects and people MZ Strategies engaged in over the past 10 years.
Read More…Following on the release last month of TCRP Synthesis 162 authored by MZ Strategies that examines the coordination of public transit services and investments with affordable housing policies, this blog post provides a deeper dive into the five case studies. Atlanta, Boise, Chicago, Kansas City and the San Francisco Bay Area provide a spectrum of approaches and challenges in these regions, but also replicable to other parts of the country.
Read More…MZ Strategies, LLC is extremely pleased to have its research on the coordination of public transportation and affordable housing published today by the National Academies Press: TCRP Research Synthesis 162, “Coordination of Public Transit Services and Investments with Affordable Housing Policies.” This research provides a snapshot of past and present approaches to aligning transit and affordable housing. Through case studies of Atlanta, Boise, Chicago, Kansas City and the San Francisco Bay Area region, the report describes the ways that transit agencies and affordable housing policy makers and service providers are innovating and partnering, but also the significant gaps, missed opportunities and needs that remain unmet. The report includes results from a national survey of 51 transit agencies conducted during spring of 2021 that asked respondents to report on ways their own agencies were approaching coordination, and their perceptions of how well other regional housing partners consider and prioritize transit access.
Read More…The challenges facing the Biden Harris administration in their first year are unprecedented in my lifetime. Despite this, significant progress has been made particularly on infrastructure. Yet much work lies ahead, especially on voting rights, climate and racial equity. We cannot give up hope or dismiss the passion that so many of us have for a more inclusive, just and stronger America. Thank you, President Biden and Vice President Harris, for not giving up hope either.
Read More…Sharing gratitude and reflecting on the incredible partners and projects that MZ Strategies supported in 2021. Looking ahead to 2022 and ways that we can re-imagine our approaches to planning and community development to achieve more inclusive and equitable outcomes. Taking lessons from Ramsey County, MN and Chicago, IL; I offer my thoughts on how we can co-design planning processes and products to share power between government and community voices to achieve real impact. This has important implications for the billions of dollars that will be invested in 2022 on infrasrtucture.
Read More…MZ Strategies analysis of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, signed into law on November 15, 2021 focuses on its potential to advance transportation equity and support equitable transit oriented development. The bill provides historic funding levels, several important new discretionary grant programs, but little policy change. The likely result will be expansion of our status quo system unless planners, engineers, and community advocates come together to reform, rethink and reprioritize our nation’s infrastructure. The bill creates that potential, but it is a heavy lift that requires all hands on deck.
Read More…Mariia Zimmerman, Founder and Principal of MZ Strategies, LLC was re-appointed by Governor Northam to the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority (VPRA). Zimmerman represents the Richmond region. Her selection is based upon her years of experience in passenger transportation and community development. She was first appointed in 2020, at the creation of the new statewide transportation authority, and will serve through June 30, 2025.
Read More…The first six months of 2021 have been busy, and transformative. Earlier this spring we supported Ramsey County, Minnesota unveil its Economic Competitiveness and Inclusion Plan. In June, Mariia Zimmerman will be sharing insights from this, the City of Chicago’s ETOD policy plan which she has also supported, and other forthcoming equitable transit oriented development and inclusive community building projects. Read to learn more and find out how you can join the conversation!
Read More…MZ Strategies is proud to be one of the contributing authors to the “New Deal for Housing Justice” Playbook released today by Community Change, a national organization that builds the power of low-income people, especially people of color, to fight for a society where everyone can thrive. The playbook addresses 5 key policy questions for federal leaders to address as they shape the future of housing and infrastructure policy and investment in the new Biden-Harris administration and 117th Congress..
Read More…A look ahead to 2021 and the various projects that MZ Strategies will be undertaking with some incredible partners to realize the vision of Dr King’s Beloved Community based on justice, equal opportunity, and love of one’s fellow human beings. This includes several exciting equitable transit-oriented development projects, economic inclusion and restorative justice projects, and continued cross-sector collaboration to pilot innovative policies and new funding tools.
Read More…Mariia Zimmerman, Founder and Principal of MZ Strategies, LLC, has been appointed by Virginia Governor Ralph Northam to the newly created Virginia Passenger Rail Authority (VPRA) Board of Directors. Zimmerman will represent the Richmond metropolitan area on the statewide governing body.
Read More…Einstein is credited with saying, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.” So maybe instead of planners trying to achieve ever greater precision through quantitative analysis and exerting more regulatory control, long-range planning should chart a new path. What this could look like should be open to lots of people’s different interpretations. Over the past nine months MZ Strategies has been involved in projects that illustrate new ways public agencies can engage. In the Minneapolis-Saint Paul region new partnerships between regional planners and non-profits created the first Regional Economic Framework, which centers on racial equity. In Chicago, the Mayors Office and city departments together with community advocates, transit providers, and regional stakeholders established the first Equitable Transit Oriented Development Policy Plan of its kind in the nation.
Read More…While headlines across the Country, and especially in Washington D.C., have rightfully been focused on racial justice and police brutality some potentially significant federal proposals are moving through Congress and the administration that, if enacted, will have significant long-term impacts on housing affordability, public health, and climate change. Transportation proposes that elevate affordable housing and ETOD. Attacks on national environmental protection laws designed to prevent cancer-causing pollutants and other health risks. Dismantling of affordable housing finance tools. Each requires attention, and despite the heaviness and trauma of the times we live in, all benefit from being shaped by people who will be directly effected by the practices they will formalize, the funding that will be spent, and the impacts that will be felt for generations to come.
Read More…I write a lot about how we can elevate and practice racial equity in the planning profession and in creating more inclusive, thriving communities. Yet this week leaves me feeling utterly gutted. The work never ends until injustice ends. This is daunting, but it also means we never lost the opportunity to learn, to grow, and to bend. We must remind ourselves that each of us has power, and to use it wisely.
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