A new effort to counter the disproportionate impacts of the pandemic and the systemic inequalities that long predated the pandemic is underway, with new leadership, in the nation's capital.

Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has appointed the District's first Chief Equity Officer to lead a newly created office in the D.C. government dedicated to racial equity initiatives. Debbie Truong reports the news for DCist.
Amber Hewitt, the director of health equity at Families USA, will take on the new role, charged with the immediate task of leading the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, which has disproportionately hurt Black, Latino and low-income families in the District.
"Hewitt will lead the city’s Office of Racial Equity, which Bowser established earlier this year. The office is responsible for creating processes that insure city programs and policy decisions are evaluated for equity," according to Truong. "The Office of Racial Equity was established through the REACH Act, a sweeping measure passed by the D.C. Council last year to tackle historic inequities in education, health, housing and criminal justice."
FULL STORY: Bowser Appoints D.C.’s First Chief Equity Officer

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What Role Does Health Care Play in Community Development?
Cities are economically diverse and require accessible health care systems, but this can be challenging to implement. Urban developers are working alongside health professionals to create affordable care for city residents.

Density and Driving: A Second Look
A common argument against more compact housing is that increased population density will only reduce vehicle miles traveled at moderate levels of density, as opposed to very low-density and very high-density areas. But this might not be so.

Zoning Reform Works, but Is No Magic Bullet
Improving housing affordability and boosting housing production requires more than just eliminating single-family zoning.

Feds to Award $13 Million for Transit Oriented Development Planning
A newly bolstered competitive grant program administered by the Federal Transit Administration has announced a new round of funding.

Bay Area Transit Stations To Feature Local Writers
A contest in the San Francisco Bay Area will select 30 short stories that will be available at special vending kiosks at transit stations.
Piedmont Environmental Council
City of Oakland, California
Marin Transit
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of San Carlos
City of Redwood City
City of Hot Springs
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Hand Drawing Master Plans
This course aims to provide an introduction into Urban Design Sketching focused on how to hand draw master plans using a mix of colored markers.