This week’s #GOPCThread is the first in a number of threads that will brake down GOPC’s recent report, released in partnership with the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy Equitably Developing America’s Smaller Legacy Cities. This week’s thread is an overview of the report, while future threads will look at specific case studies and the recommendations contained within.

Not on Twitter? The thread is available online as well as below.

Greater Ohio Policy Center Read on Twitter

America’s smaller legacy cities should fully embrace #equitabledevelopment. @GreaterOhio and @landpolicy discuss how and why in our new report. #GOPCThread

#Equitabledevelopment strategies can help smaller legacy cities meet the need for sound, long-term economic growth; respond proactively to calls for racial equity; and work to remedy the inequities laid bare by the COVID-19 pandemic. #GOPCThread

Equity refers to an overarching goal: to make opportunity accessible to all & to make a special effort to improve outcomes for low-income populations & communities of color to bring them into parity with other populations. Equity is not the same as equality #GOPCThread

Research demonstrates that racial and income inequality are not only outcomes of a postindustrial world; they are also drivers of current and future regional economic stagnation. #GOPCThread

Smaller legacy cities are well-suited to pursuing #equitabledevelopment.  The smaller size of these places makes them an ideal environment for testing ideas, changing paradigms, and using data to course correct.  #GOPCThread

The process of #equitabledevelopment includes diverse stakeholders who provide critical input and take leadership roles #GOPCThread

In smaller legacy cities it must balance protecting residents from physical or cultural displacement while also improving market strength and encouraging new market-rate development. #GOPCThread

Strategies for #equitabledevelopment are varied and focus on physical development and investment in residents. Building an ecosystem based on trust that is supportive of #equitabledevelopment is a critical component to the long-term success of any strategy. #GOPCThread

Building trust and repairing relationships is critical to #equitabledevelopment.  @LancasterPA leaders issued an unequivocal apology for past racist city policies, like redlining and urban renewal @CAPLancaster, #LancasterEquityCDC #GOPCThread

The apology helped earn community trust and new groups agreed to join the planning process. #GOPCThread

Diverse coalitions are critical to #equitabledevelopment. @Transity4Indy, a large, multisector coalition that encouraged support for mass transit, created a data-intensive slide deck that could be tailored to address issues of importance to specific audiences #GOPCThread

Strategic Planning & Visioning are critical pieces of #equitabledevelopment.  Private-sector CEOs in Erie PA created @ErieDDC to coordinate & implement downtown plans. @ErieDDC coordinates downtown projects & funding & has increased Erie’s development capacity. #GOPCThread

Thoughtful place-based investments can be #equitabledevelopment, like the renovation of @arcadedayton. Small biz development & innovation entities like @ECinnovates & @IACT_UDayton, are co-located there, facilitating better coordination & eliminating redundancies #GOPCThread

Cultivating homegrown talent is #equitabledevelopment. @ReimagineNOM developed programs to get more residents onto boards of n’hood groups; 1 creates pathways to decision-making roles 4 existing professionals; another fosters leadership & engagement among n’hood youth #GOPCThread

.@CenterStateCEO cultivates homegrown talent by also partnering with community organizations to help residents access job training & obtain careers that pay family-sustaining wages while also assisting businesses in recruiting, training, & retaining skilled employees. #GOPCThread

Planning for Neighborhood Stability is #equitabledevelopment. @inyellowsprings pioneered novel “Pay to Stay” eviction protection legislation requiring landlords to accept late rent payments so that tenants could remain in their residences during #COVID #GOPCThread

Recalibrating existing operations to better yield equity is #equitabledevelopment. Affordable Housing Trust for Columbus & Franklin County reevaluated internal procedures looking for ways to generate more equity #GOPCThread

The nonprofit housing lender adopted new policies requiring borrowers pay a housing wage and requiring source of income protection. #GOPCThread

Over the next several months, we will periodically dedicate our #GOPCThread to other aspects of our #equitabledevelopment report, so stay tuned!