District Council Task Forces for Health and Social Equity

Beginning in August 2020, member-led task forces organized by ULI district councils in Arizona, Chicago, Sacramento, and Tampa Bay worked to address local policy and regulatory barriers to the creation of healthier and more equitable places. These initiatives were part of ULI’s District Council Task Forces for Health and Social Equity Project, led by ULI’s Building Healthy Places Initiative with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. In addition to identifying a local challenge and executing an 18-month scope of work, each team was encouraged to document its project, outcomes, and recommendations, producing a deliverable that would meet the local need. The result is a library of four distinctive reports reflecting the work done in each city.

Change for Good: Lessons from ULI’s District Council Task Forces for Health and Social Equity

Member-led task forces organized by ULI district councils in Chicago, Phoenix, Sacramento, and Tampa worked during 2019 and 2020 to address local policy and regulatory barriers to the creation of healthier and more equitable places. Change for Good features executive summaries of each task force, including observations, findings, and recommendations. The report also documents common themes and takeaways gleaned from these experiences.

Read the Report and Urban Land Article:

Read Change for Good

District Council Task Force Summaries

Working through late 2020, each Task Force illuminated local policies and practices that make health-promoting development difficult or increase the vulnerability of low-income people, built a case that reform is needed, and prepared specific recommendations for shifts in policy and practice.

Chicago, IL

Unlocking ADUs: Policy Research and Convening Lessons for Chicago

Chicago has a worsening shortage of affordable housing for moderate- and lower-income households. However, accessory dwelling units (ADUs) such as backyard, attic-, and basement-level units are restricted and challenging to construct. Unlocking ADUs, the ULI Chicago Health and Social Equity Task Force report, identifies the numerous barriers to building an ADU and offers a set of recommendations that inspired and informed development of Chicago’s ADU pilot program.

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Phoenix, AZ

Expanding Options: Workforce Housing Strategies for Metro Phoenix

Throughout metro Phoenix, a growing number of households are being priced out of the housing market, particularly near transit and essential service infrastructure. Expanding Options, the ULI Arizona Health and Social Equity Task Force report, provides a framework for planners and policymakers to collaboratively implement market strategies for attainable housing solutions that support inclusivity and avoid displacement.

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Sacramento, CA

Empowering Community: An Engagement Toolkit for South Sacramento

The legacy of inequitable land use and transportation decisions has contributed to rising health and economic disparities in Meadowview, a South Sacramento neighborhood. Empowering Community, the ULI Sacramento Health and Social Equity Task Force report, documents the culturally inclusive conversations that led to development of a community toolkit that empowers residents to engage in neighborhood decision-making by providing guidance on a range of issues, including project funding, budgeting, site activation, and development approvals.

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Tampa, FL

Achieving Affordability: Meeting Tampa’s Attainable Housing Goals

ULI Tampa Bay assembled a panel of experts to advise the city on how best to achieve the mayor’s goal of adding 10,000 new housing units—a mix of affordable and attainable—by 2027. Achieving Affordability, the ULI Tampa Bay Health and Social Equity Task Force report, outlines the panel’s recommendations and strategies emphasizing inclusivity and equity.

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Please be in touch with the ULI Building Healthy Places Initiative at [email protected] with any questions or comments.

ULI is grateful to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for its support of this program.