Still reeling from yesterday’s infamous and unAmerican events in Washington DC, a friend and colleague reminded me of Martin Luther King Jr’s “Where Do We Go From Here? Chaos or Community.” It’s a clarion call, and reminder, that despite the rage and finger pointing that are warranted, we must remain focused on realizing Dr. King’s vision for a Beloved Community where all are embraced and feel welcome.

Social and economic justice are the pillars of the Beloved Community, and as 2020 made crystal clear (in case there was any doubt) most American communities today, whether urban or rural, are built upon and reinforce deep inequality especially for the poor, the disabled, and Black, Brown, Indigenous and other people of color (BIPOC). These inequities play out in widely disparate health, economic, social and environmental outcomes within society between those with wealth and those without it; between those with privilege and those without it. Yet we also saw in 2020, the rising power of community voice especially of those who have been too long overlooked. We saw their power in keeping our shelves stocked, in caring for the sick, in tearing down treasonous statutes, in opening our eyes to police brutality and systemic racism embedded deep within American institutions, and in exercising their right to vote.

I am reminded, and recommitted through the work ahead to nurturing the Beloved Community. As one of my favorite White men, the late and great Senator Paul Wellstone frequently said, “We all do better when we all do better.” And so, a look at the year ahead for MZ Strategies:

Racial, Health and Climate Equity.

I am grateful to continue my partnership with the Strong, Prosperous and Resilient Communities Challenge (SPARCC) supporting groundbreaking restorative justice work in Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Memphis and the San Francisco Bay Area. We’ve been co-designing with local and national partners over the last 9 months a SPARCC Policy Platform that will be released in early 2021. Included in the platform is a set of recommendations for local, state and federal leaders to advance equitable transit-oriented development (ETOD). I’m excited about this work as we collectively push to evolve TOD beyond discussions of housing and economic development, to deeper needs and opportunities framed around the essential value and dignity of those who rely on transit and who live in transit-served communities. This includes fighting to ensure necessary funding to enable beleaguered transit systems to recover from the COVID-19 crisis, local expansion of fare-free service and federal operating assistance for transit agencies specifically to provide essential transit service to low-income riders.

Economic Inclusion.

Another continuation from last year is my partnership with the Center for Economic Inclusion, NEOO Partners, Inc. and Fourth Economy to support Ramsey County, Minnesota in releasing its first Economic Competitiveness and Inclusion Plan. Home to Saint Paul and numerous smaller local jurisdictions, Ramsey is the most racially diverse county in the state with vibrant Asian, African, LatinX, Indigenous, and African American communities along working class White communities that still reflect the Minnesota’s rich working class immigrant history. The county has some of the poorest neighborhoods in the state, and a growing housing affordability crisis especially pronounced for those earning less than $25,000 per year. The plan will be released in early 2021, with several community conversations scheduled to share recommendations that have been informed over the past year by extensive online engagement with a diverse set of community residents, employers, service providers, academic and local government partners.

Building Equity in Small Multifamily Ownership.

In late 2020, MZ Strategies partnered again with NEOO Partners, Inc. (a Minnesota firm specializing in community engagement, real estate and finance founded by the incredible duo, D’Angelos Svenkenson and Denetrick Powers) to assist the Family Housing Fund in its analysis of the market potential and financial needs to expand owner-occupied housing (ie duplexes, triplexes and four-plexes) as a homeownership strategy for Black, Brown, and Indigenous households. This work supports larger efforts being led by FHFund to build equity in small multifamily ownership. In Minnesota, 40% of households of color and just 24% of Black Minnesotans own their homes, compared to 76% of white households. This 52-point difference between Black and white households in Minnesota is one of the worst homeownership gaps in the country. Our team will be completing its analysis in early spring, with results informing future work by FHFund and its partners to address the constrained supply and high competition for these units, and to ensure first time homebuyers have access to capital and training.

Artwork created for Elevated Chicago by JNJ Creative to help visual the City of Chicago’s new ETOD Policy Plan, of which MZ Strategies help to draft in 2020.

Equitable Transit Oriented Development

In 2021, MZ Strategies will be involved in several ETOD efforts stretching across the country. Over the past two decades, I’ve witnessed the impacts of successful TOD on many BIPOC communities where gentrification has led to displacement in some neighborhoods, the missed opportunity in other neighborhoods where decades of disinvestment remain or where local TOD policies lacked vision or teeth, and the transformation of other neighborhoods from former industrial places to thriving mixed-use communities.

As we face simultaneous climate, housing, economic inequality, and racial equity challenges ETOD offers the potential to realize Dr. King’s Beloved Community. However, it is patently clear that this cannot happen by doing more of the same. Rather we must be bold and brave in looking at what has worked, what has failed, and what has harmed communities of color and low-income residents and business owners as TOD has been implemented without intentional commitment to equity across the process, the vision and principles, the policies and the prioritization of funding and who TOD is designed to benefit. The ETOD book is still being written, but I’m excited to be a co-author through the following projects:

“Coordination of Public Transit Services and Investments with Affordable Housing Policies,” TCRP Research Synthesis J-07, SB-34. MZ Strategies is the prime investigator, with support provided by Dr. Katheryn Howell to examine the ways that transit agencies are (or are not) coordinating their TOD, planning, service and fare policies to align with affordable housing residents and their transportation needs. Through case studies we hope to also uncover how local affordable housing providers or program are (or are not) considering transit as they locate projects, support voucher holders, and provide supportive services. The research synthesis will be finalized and released in late 2021.

Metropolitan Transportation Commission TOD Policy Update. MZ Strategies is part of a team led by Strategic Economics to assist the Bay Area’s Metropolitan Transportation Commission in analyzing and updating its 2005 TOD Policy. MTC was the first regional agency in the country to adopt a TOD policy, and it has helped to spur a wave of station area planning and local land use changes across the region. However, a raging housing crisis radically altered in some ways by the impacts of COVID-19 on the regional housing market and economy and new affordable housing policies adopted by regional transit agencies such as BART have sparked a much-needed review of this region agency’s TOD approach and potential levers.

In short, the coming year will be a busy and hopefully productive one for MZ Strategies and our partners. More than anything we hope for more justice and more peace. New federal leadership in Congress and the Biden-Harris administration make me hopeful that we may finally see a transformative federal transportation bill that includes strong climate and housing linkages, much needed funding and accountability, and improved parity between modes. First up, however, federal leaders must address the unmet housing and economic insecurity facing millions of Americans, worsened by the rollback of Fair Housing and other regulations at HUD and Senate inaction and abysmal federal leadership to address the raging COVID health crisis. Over 370,000 people have died (as of today), several of whom were people I knew and loved. I still believe in America and in our ability when we come together to successfully meet crisis head on. Now is the time. Whether in our own individual small ways, or in bold community actions. Let’s do this.