May 05, 2020 By: Mariia Zimmerman

Tags: #Planning, #publicengagement, #sparcc, #COVID19, #equity

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Elevating Equity in Virtual Community Engagement

We need community-based organizations to be equal partners in public engagement work. They remain the closest to those we must involve, and likely have the best solutions to offer. Engaging them in a new equitable online future also helps to ensure that leaders in these communities are receiving the training, resources, and tech tools they
need to thrive in their own broader work whether that is helping to provide food, shelter, legal aid, health care, arts and culture, or job training. But how do we translate this to a COVID19 engagement world? After numerous conversations with a variety of clients, I find that the answer is simple. We need to take the same equitable engagement steps whether we are meeting in person or virtually.

March 02, 2020 By: Mariia Zimmerman

Tags: #TOD, #eTOD, #parking, #planning, #SPARCC

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Rethinking Parking Policy to Achieve Equitable Transit-Oriented Development

What if cities and communities rethought parking policy and designed it not only to serve transportation goals but also equity goals? Leading with equity creates better transportation options for all. It also opens up new ways of looking at traditional problems and solutions. This includes the common approach to TOD parking policies that encourage eliminating parking and increasing the cost. Both are strategies that create disincentives to driving but should be considered in terms of their equity impacts and mitigation strategies.

February 19, 2020 By: Mariia Zimmerman

Tags: #TheMovementpodcast, #PublicLands, #equitableTOD, #Planning, #CRA, #AFFH, #NEPA

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Talking Podcasts, Public Lands and Racial Equity thru Federal Action

The latest episode of #TheMovementPodcast is now live with Mariia Zimmerman of MZ Strategies discussing underutilized public assets, equity, and the urbanist issue she thinks not enough people are talking about. Musings on additional resources and concrete actions to advance racial equity goals in public lands and federal policies.

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December 18, 2019 By: Mariia Zimmerman

Tags: #ETOD, #Enterprise Community Partners, #PLCC, #affordable housinig, #planning, #WMCOG

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Coming Together to Create Equitable Transit-Oriented Communities along Maryland's Purple Line

This month the Purple Line Corridor Coalition (PLCC), a cross-sector collaborative of organizations from the Maryland suburbs surrounding Washington, DC, released its first Housing Action Plan. MZ Strategies was honored to work with the Coalition over the past year to create this plan, which details twelve actions to increase the production, preservation and protection of housing affordable to working families living in this newly emerging high-capacity transit corridor. The plan is available in English and Spanish on the PLCC website. Beyond the recommendations, the process used to create the plan provides inspiration for other regions pursuing equitable TOD that prioritizes the housing needs of all residents and is committed to fighting displacement.

September 18, 2019 By: Mariia Zimmerman

Tags: #publicengagement, #etod, #SPARCC, #RMHF, #equity

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Engage Local. Putting Community at the Center of Public Engagement

Equitable community engagement recognizes local residents and community-based organizations as assets that can be resourced to play an active partnership role in designing solutions for their communities. Public agencies are advancing this work through adopting equitable engagement principles, creating Equitable Engagement Blueprint documents, and even more importantly committing public funds and redesigning how engagement contracts are being written, how staff are being trained, and how local organizations are being compensated for their time and partnership. MZ Strategies showcases some of these efforts in a new white paper released by SPARCC.

September 03, 2019 By: Mariia Zimmerman

Tags: #Railvolution, #Enterprise Community Partners, #TOD, #equitableTOD, #MTC, #MetroTransit, #affordable housinig, #FamilyHousingFund

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Leveraging Public Assets for Public Benefit

Creating an inventory of public lands, analyzing the inventory for its development and market potential, and revising policies to align with community goals are all steps that government staff and local elected leaders can take to ensure that these invaluable public resources facilitate the type of development that best serves the community. Leveraging public assets for public benefit requires partnership, and sometimes patience. But the rewards can be realized by residents for years to come.

May 28, 2019 By: Mariia Zimmerman

Tags: #CASACompact, #SPARCC, #Enterprise Community Partners, #MTC, #ABAG, #Great Communities Collaborative, #housing

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It’s Time: Endorsing a Bold New Regional Housing Idea for the San Francisco Bay Area

Cross-positing a blog written for the Strong Prosperous and Resilient Communities Initiative spotlighting work happening in California to address a growing affordable housing crisis at the regional level. The CASA Compact includes a comprehensive set of recommendations targeting production, preservation, tenant protections and institutional challenges to meeting the state’s housing needs. Lessons here for other regions as well, both in the value of regional approaches to housing but also the perils of only focusing on job growth and not also ensuring enough housing for workers.

April 05, 2019 By: Mariia Zimmerman

Tags: #resiliency, #NRDC, #climate adaptation, #APAColorado, #climategentrifcation

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Resiliency Planning for the Cities We Want Rather than the Cities We Have

Climate resiliency planning is becoming more important and common in American communities of all sizes. The focus when talking about infrastructure is often on the project or system, but resiliency requires a more expansive and interconnected view. This includes maximizing linkages across systems, deeper engagement with the community who is both affected by disruptions and is a funding partner, and expanding our notion of revenues and return on investment. Climate may play a role in accelerating gentrification, but a High Road Infrastructure Approach provides a pathway for greater resiliency.

March 21, 2019 By: Mariia Zimmerman

Tags: #eTOD, #TOD, #Planning, #RacialEquity, #Redlining, #SPARCC, #ElevatedChicago, #FTA

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Coming to Racial Terms with Trickle-Down Urbanism: A personal TOD journey (Part II)

Tranist Oriented Development is a field within urban planning that promotes mixed-use development near transit as a way to revitalize communities and improve the efficiency of our transportation system. It often involves strategies to create more housing, improve walkability and create more places for shopping, gathering, working and enjoying urban life. Last month I wrote about my own personal journey in understanding how cultural racism had influenced my work over the last twenty years on equitable Transit Oriented Development (eTOD). This month I delve into some ways that racism is baked into our systems, structures and institutions making it an incredible (but not insurmountable) challenge to correct if we are to truly realize EQUITABLE TOD that works for people of all races and income levels.

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February 14, 2019 By: Mariia Zimmerman

Tags: #RacialEquity, #eTOD, #TOD, #RaceForward, #PolicyLink, #SPARCC, #TransitCenter, #Planning

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Coming to Racial Terms with Trickle-Down Urbanism - A personal TOD journey (Part I)

Many people chose planning, or are called to it, by their strong desire to create thriving, inclusive, and environmentally-kind communities. Yet in this work, we must come to terms with a complicated racial history that continues to impact the work we do today. Changing society’s laws, institutions and culture to be more racially just takes time and feels overwhelming. It’s easy to be cynical. Yet, the truth is that change must first begin with ourselves. In this, and my next blog post, I share my own journey of racial self-responsibility and reflect on some ways cultural racism is embedded within transportation planning and how my cultural bias reinforced this subconsciously. By recognizing these barriers, we can work together as allies to heal, reconcile, and create more livable communities. (Artwork by Jose Ramirez “City of Angels” 2011)

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December 19, 2018 By: Mariia Zimmerman

Tags: #VienTruong, #GRTC, #RVARapidTransit, #Enterprise Community Partners, #FamilyHousingFund, #FTA, #SPARCC, #APA, #Planning, #6PIC, #RVAGroundworks, #METRO, #Portland, #CASA, #ManuelPastor, #johnapowell, #PLCC, #ECOnorthwest

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Reflecting Back on an Impactful 2018

Another year ends, and it is with deep gratitude that I look back over 2018 to reflect on all the amazing accomplishments achieved by the array of incredible local and national community leaders, thought partners, and funders that I have had the privilege to work with to make America’s communities thrive. As someone who cut her teeth working at the federal level, it has been beyond depressing to see the vitriol, decay and lack of leadership by Congress and this administration. Yet against this backdrop, innovation and a commitment to greater racial and economic equity is exploding at the local level. Read the MZ Strategies post to see some of the highlights!

September 13, 2018 By: Mariia Zimmerman

Tags: #displacement, #MariiaZimmerman, #RailVolution, #WestsideEconomicAlliance, #FarrAssociates, #eTOD, #SPARC, #Planning

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Lifting Up Solutions to Address America’s Housing Displacement Crisis

This fall Mariia Zimmerman, Principal of MZ Strategies, LLC will be speaking across the country at several events to share emerging practices and new policies centered around elevating community voice, ownership, and education to ensure that long-time residents and small business owners can remain in communities as they attract new and much-needed investment.

May 29, 2018 By: Mariia Zimmerman

Tags: #SPARCC, #ETOD, #transit oriented development, #MARTA, #MileHighConnects, #Great Communities Collaborative, #TransformationAlliance, #WonderRoot, #ElevatedChicago, #LAThrives, #ActLA, #TOD

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SPARCCing New Strategies to Ensure Equitable Transit-Oriented Communities

MZ Strategies, LLC developed two new publications on Equitable Transit Oriented Development (ETOD) for the Strong Prosperous and Resilient Communities Challenge (SPARCC). ETOD emphasizes transit’s role in serving mixed-income communities and prioritizes the needs of those who rely on transit. This includes broadening the definition of TOD to include issues of racial equity, community health, access to economic opportunity, and environmental goals. The six SPARCC-supported communities, reflect this shift in many ways and are at the forefront of ETOD strategies. Blog cross-posted from SPARCC.

April 10, 2018 By: Mariia Zimmerman

Tags: #MLK, #Fair Housing, #PolicyLink, #EquitySummit2018, #NPC18, #planning, #HankDittmar, #TOD, #Evicted, #Railvolution, #overheadwire, #racialsegregation, #SPARCC, #tenantprotections

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Spring Remembrances and Upcoming Presentations by MZ Strategies, LLC

We see daily the highs and lows that our nation continues to experience in advancing equity, affordable housing, and inclusive communities. Despite the unexpected flurries, devastating storms, and unpredictable temperatures we face today in our work of creating strong, prosperous and resilient communities, there remains truth in Reverend Dr. King’s famous quote, "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice."

March 15, 2018 By: Mariia Zimmerman

Tags: #SUMC18, #FTA, #MODSandbox, #RobinChase, #APTA, #AVs, #AutonomousVehicles, #sharedmoility, #SharedUse, #Brookings, #EquitiCity

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Our Mobility Future May be More Autonomous, but Will it be More Equitable?

So, will autonomous vehicles be a panacea or another pandemic for low-income households and communities of color? Only time will tell, but so far, most discussions of a brave, new autonomous future fail to happen within broader discussions of economic and racial disparities that exist today, much less are they being considered within a broader regional context of housing and land use policy. We all need to recognize the interconnections between transportation, housing and equity.