Infrastructure funds should promote equity, not fuel racism
Before local governments look ahead to plan how to spend their share of the $1 trillion infrastructure package, they should start by looking at the past.
Historically, communities that don’t hold power have had very little – if any – say in infrastructure projects that impact their lives in real and meaningful ways. As a result, infrastructure construction and maintenance have played a big role in fueling inequality and racial segregation.
For example, while the National Interstate Highway Act of 1956 created 41,000 miles of interstate highways, and was lauded as a sign of progress, no one talks about the nearly 1 million people displaced by construction. Most of the impacted were residents from communities of color or lower socio-economic status. Those same highways accelerated white flight and suburban sprawl. In Kansas City, US Highway 71 was constructed to slice through areas of the city with the lowest numbers of car ownership, further isolating those communities.
In every instance, communities of color and lower-socioeconomic communities bore the impact of the infrastructure decisions but never had a seat at the table. That’s one reason that $20 billion of the infrastructure bill has been earmarked to promote equity in decision making.
But what does that look like?
It starts by ensuring a cross-section of the community weighs in on how funds are spent. Stakeholder conversations should represent diverse viewpoints but not in a check-the-box way. It’s important that facilitators understand how to create an environment that makes room for different opinions. People should feel free to speak their peace.
In other words, the conversations should be uncomfortable.
At Shockey, we specialize in facilitating stakeholder conversations with diverse members representing a cross-section of the community. We know that decisions made to improve the community need to function within the community. The entire community. Here’s how we make sure that happens.
- Connect. We start by connecting with the local community and gleaning local knowledge from neighbors to grassroots organizations and from local vendors to community leaders. We identify the positive opportunities for change and the community’s combined capabilities.
- Understand. Discovering and mapping out the collective knowledge of a community can uncover all assets – many of which are not widely known – leading to more meaningful solutions.
- Create. We then translate that information with the community by brainstorming ideas and viable solutions. This process helps the entire community gain ownership of the solution.
- Deliver. After connecting and discovering the best results, we work with the community to implement the most appropriate solutions. Finally, we celebrate the community’s hard work.
Ensuring all voices and perspectives are heard isn’t always the easiest path toward completing a project. But it is the only way. It sets the outcomes up for success. It ensures resources are used in a way that reflects the entire community’s wishes.
And, most importantly, it’s the fair and right thing to do.