A Response to New Investment and Development: STRATEGIES FOR PRODUCING EQUITABLE OUTCOMES IN THE HARRISON NEIGHBORHOOD

Abstract

Why Equitable Development Strategies are Necessary for Harrison As Harrison experiences new investment in public infrastructure as well as an influx of affluent residents, it is crucial that structural changes be made to address its’ history of inequality, discrimination, and disinvestment that the residents of Harrison have been experiencing for generations. Any new development that occurs in the Harrison neighborhood must be equitable and increase the quality of life outcomes such as affordable housing, quality education, living wage employment, healthy environments, and transportation options. Public and private investments, programs, and policies directly or indirectly affecting Harrison must meet the needs of existing residents, taking into account past history and current conditions. Equitable development should be used as a tool to advance racial equity and increase the capacity of people of color and low-income people to strengthen their communities and determine their own future and what they anticipate the future of their neighborhood to become. Equitable development will be successful when long-standing residents, residents who have faced substantial barriers to opportunity, experience beneficial outcomes from the growth at the same rate or more than the new “gentry”.