equity

Definition of Equity

In order to define equity, we must first acknowledge the political economy of the United States which has created systems of finance, land entitlement, laws and legal judgements, and policing, among others, to intentionally and systemically privilege those who have been in power since the time of our "founding fathers." These systems reward individualism and profit-making, while suppressing efforts for collectivization and real empowerment of those communities that don't fit the dominant class. It is this system that causes ever-widening income and resource inequality, 

It will take all of us working together- marginalized communities along with the City and State to dismantle the prevailing racist and oppressive systems of planning, land use, cultural and economic development  that were created to institutionalize redlining, gentrification, displacement, and extreme inequality, and replace them with new systems that support, nurture, and prioritize the dignity, health, stability, and aspirations of American Indian, Black, and other Communities of Color, immigrant, LGBTQ+, low-income and no-income folks, seniors, and people with disabilities.

Equity means identifying and executing policies, strategies and goals to ensure that race, ethnicity, income and access to resources do not determine the success of individuals or their communities.

The bullet points that follow are our translation of these concepts and principles into a concrete set of standards that can be used by City and State policymakers to create and evaluate policies, plans, budget allocations, and development proposals. These come from the collective wisdom of organizations that work in American Indian, Black, and other Communities of Color, low-income and marginalized communities across San Francisco. 

What Equity IS

• Problem-solving and resource prioritization led by American Indian, Black, and other Communities of Color, low-income and marginalized communities.

• Prioritizing, incentivizing and enabling development that provides greater affordability and stability for American Indian, Black, and other Communities of Color, low-income and marginalized communities.

• Investing in resources and programs that lead to greater land/property ownership for American Indian, Black, and other Communities of Color, low-income and marginalized communities.

• Advancing land use plans and policies that originate from and prioritize the needs and ambitions of American Indian, Black, and other Communities of Color, low-income and marginalized communities as established by those communities.

• Advancing land use plans that prioritize American Indian, Black, and other Communities of Color’s access to and control of land, housing, open spaces and the means of subsistence as secure and dignified communities, well-resourced from all levels of government.

• Approving developments and mitigations led by American Indian, Black, and other Communities of Color, low-income and marginalized communities with clear and concrete affordability requirements and design guidelines.

• Committing to funding the COPA program so American Indian, Black, and other Communities of Color, low-income and marginalized communities can purchase significant numbers of apartment buildings and development sites to ensure affordability and stability.

• Ensuring beautiful, sensitive, and culturally appropriate design in all communities.

• Providing empirical proof for every development, policy, plan, or legislation that it will create systems that primarily benefit our most vulnerable residents and workers- and not cause simultaneous harms before it can proceed, based on criteria developed by American Indian, Black, and other Communities of Color, low-income and marginalized communities.

• Preserving publicly owned lands for uses defined as most important by American Indian, Black, and other Communities of Color, low-income and marginalized communities such as affordable housing, supportive housing, community services, accessible open spaces, and small business opportunities.

• Prioritizing community planning processes that build the leadership of low-income, immigrant, youth, and working class residents and address economic, racial, and social inequalities today and far into the future.

• Expanding community ownership and stewardship of land, either through public, not-for-profit, and/or community-controlled institutions in order to meet community needs and stabilize the supply of permanent and deeply affordable housing for current and future generations.

What Equity is NOT

• Approving density bonuses, community plans, rezonings, special use districts, and other land use policies led by the desire to prioritize the production or feasibility requirements of profit-oriented developers.

• Streamlining, incentivizing and/or enabling market rate housing or in any way prioritizing profit-motivated housing to the exclusion or diminishing of input from and empowerment of American Indian, Black, and other Communities of Color, low-income and marginalized communities.

• Creating land use plans that prioritize goals of increasing housing production by for-profit developers.

• Approving for-profit development that ignores the needs of American Indian, Black, and other Communities of Color, low-income and marginalized communities, and diminishes the access to and control of land, housing, open spaces and the means of subsistence by American Indian, Black, and other Communities of Color, low-income and marginalized communities.

• Approving developments with superficial "community benefits" or mitigations that do not meet the requests of American Indian, Black, and other Communities of Color, low-income and marginalized communities around affordability and high standards of design.

• Approving any proposals for developing for-profit housing and other profit-oriented uses on publicly owned lands.

• Holding developers accountable to a high standard of design in wealthy areas while ignoring standards of design in American Indian, Black, and other Communities of Color, low-income, and under-resourced communities.

• Allowing homes to be used for commercial purposes such as "short term rentals" or "intermediate length occupancies" which encourage displacement of existing residents and encourage escalation of housing costs.