The final and most critical stage of our Regional Equity Atlas Project is taking action on the research. Our Equity Action Agenda will translate our vision of an equitable region into specific objectives and initiatives—new public policies, public investment strategies, public education campaigns and the like. It will be a blueprint for action that responds to the research and direction from the community and our members.

This vision of an equitable region starts with the common definition of an equitable region developed through our research. This definition says that an equitable region is a place where:

• Everyone has access to important resources and amenities such as the things such as good jobs, real transportation choices, safe and stable housing, a good education, a range of parks and natural areas, vibrant public spaces, and healthful, regionally produced foods.

• The benefits and burdens of growth and change in our communities are shared fairly.

• And all residents and communities are involved fully as equal partners in public decision-making.

We expect to complete the Action Agenda in 2008.

Get in on the Action Agenda!
We've had approximately 150 participants who have generated over 100 different proposals to address inequities in our region.  We are still in the process of collecting ideas for the Regional 'Equity Agenda' so please continue to share your ideas by clicking here, or by going to www.equityatlas.org and clicking on the "Feedback Forums" tab on the left.  You can also contact Emily at emily@clfuture.org or 503-294-2889.

Look for updates as we move into the next phase of the Regional Equity Atlas project.  Using rigorous criteria, our Equity Action Committee will be analyzing all proposed solutions and drafting a "Regional Equity Agenda".  The Agenda will be presented at our upcoming Sixth Annual Livability Summit on May 28th and we hope you can join us.  Your continued participation and feedback will help us to move forward  in advancing equity in the region.

Action Already Taken
During the research process, we used the research to inform and aid our work when opportunities arose. We also provided data and maps to our members to assist with their work. As a result, we've already had important successes.

Improving Access to Parks & Nature
In November 2006, the region's voters passed a $227.4 million bond measure for the purposes of purchasing natural areas and protecting water quality and wildlife habitat. It includes just over $212 million to purchase lands for habitat and water quality protection, and creates a $15 million capital grants program to re-nature communities where access to nature is most limited. Leading up to November, CLF organized its members and supporters to participate in the campaign and help pass the measure. Last winter and spring, we also played a key role in shaping the content of the bond measure prior to Metro's referral of the measure to voters. Using results of our Regional Equity Atlas research, we briefed Metro Councilors and staff on the stark disparities in access to nature in our region between low-income communities and upper income communities, and made the case that the bond measure should address this issue. As a result, the Council adopted an historic measure that will prioritize a portion of the bond funds – the $15 million capital grants program – for projects in low-income neighborhoods.

Since the bond measure passed, we have been involved in the development of the capital grants program, now called Nature in the Neighborhoods Program to ensure that low-income communities continue to be a priority of the program. With leadership from Audubon Society of Portland, we have also been working with community partners to develop some model projects that will link affordable housing development with re-naturing projects in low-income, nature-deficient neighborhoods.

Creating Low-Income Housing
Led by CLF, Community Development Network, Community Alliance of Tenants, and the City Club of Portland, Affordable Housing NOW! (AHN) is our collaborative effort to address the Portland metropolitan region's affordable housing shortage and the devastating impact it has on our families and communities.  Through AHN, we led a campaign to create an “affordable housing set-aside” in Portland’s urban renewal areas to guarantee that affordable housing is created in these publicly subsidized redevelopment districts. In October 2006, the Portland City Council passed an historic resolution to establish a 30% set aside for the development, preservation, and rehabilitation of housing that is affordable to households with incomes below 80% of median family income, thanks, in part, to our work. Looking at the next five years alone, this set aside will result in $125.5 million for housing for working families, people of color, seniors, people with disabilities, people in recovery and other Portlanders that have been left behind by the housing market. This is more than a $10 million increase per year over historic spending for affordable housing in Urban Renewal Areas. 

Hear CLF Co-Director, Jill Fuglister, share the story of how CLF and its partners used the Atlas research to impact these public policy decisions.