Implementing Strategies to Mitigate Disaster and Build Long-Term Urban Resilience
In 2020, Nashville weathered the worst disasters in the city’s 238-year history. This included being hit by a category EF3 tornado in early March – the largest natural disaster in the city since the area’s 2010 flood. Then the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, which briefly debilitated the city’s tourism... Read more
Building Healthier Communities by Establishing an Enterprise-Wide System of Care
The Los Angeles Department of Health Services (DHS) is the second-largest municipal health system in the nation, acting as a sprawling safety-net system, primarily serving Black and Hispanic and low-income populations – residents who are uninsured or covered by Medi-Cal. Despite continuous improvements DHS has undertaken to respond to changes... Read more
Building an Equity-Driven and Culturally Responsive Government Through Authentic Community Engagement
Brooklyn Center, Minnesota moved to the national spotlight as city leaders responded to the fatal shooting of Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man who was fatally shot during a traffic stop at the height of the Derek Chauvin trial, sparking successive days of protests earlier this year. City leaders have... Read more
Using Data to Enhance Transformative Public Safety Reforms
In the City of Brooklyn Center, a small, working-class city just outside of Minneapolis, the fatal shooting of Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man, at a traffic stop in the suburb this spring sparked successive days of protest and demands for the city to examine new approaches to public safety... Read more
Ensuring an Equitable and Effective Long-Term COVID-19 Response in Harris County
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Harris County has managed over 381,000 cases and nearly 6,000 deaths. Under the direction of the County Judge’s Office, Harris County Public Health (HCPH) and other partners have worked tirelessly to slow the spread of infection and combat health inequities through free and accurate testing, case... Read more
Reducing LA County’s Jail Population by Scaling Rapid Diversion Programs
Los Angeles County operates the largest jail system and de-facto mental health facility in the United States, holding more than 17,000 people daily, nearly 30% of whom have a serious mental health disorder. Residents of color are disproportionately incarcerated, with Black residents accounting for only 9% of the total population... Read more
Responding to Behavioral and Mental Health Crises without Law Enforcement
Throughout 2020 there were passionate pleas and emphatic demands for local governments across the country to examine police operations within their jurisdictions. In response, Durham city officials began examining public safety and community wellness needs and evaluating if city resources were aligning. Initial work included analyzing 911 call data and... Read more
Increasing Access to Employment Opportunities for Every Milwaukeean
In Milwaukee, more than 17 percent of Black residents are unemployed, compared to more than 4 percent of white residents. A key to closing this widening economic gap is giving individuals more workforce development opportunities and access to job prospects. Employ Milwaukee, the local workforce development board serving Milwaukee County,... Read more
Preventing Transit Developments from Displacing Residents
Since the late 1990s, Austin has seen a dramatic rise in housing costs, with affluent young professionals moving into central neighborhoods and pushing established residents to the outskirts or out of the city altogether. This displacement is most dramatic in the same neighborhoods where Black and Latinx residents were previously... Read more
Bolstering Homeownership to Build Neighborhood Resilience
Like many U.S. cities, Milwaukee is dealing with an affordable housing crisis, with many residents often spending 50 to 80 percent of their income on rent or mortgage payments and homeownership rates dropping by nearly 14% over the last decade. Black residents in Milwaukee are especially strained, with 40% of... Read more