Webinar – Understanding and Overcoming Spatial Segregation

Land use policies, access to public services, decisions about where to build affordable housing, historical practices (such as redlining by the U.S. banking system), as well as entrenched social and economic exclusion have shaped the spatial development of cities by influencing how and where resources are allocated and investments deployed. For fortunate residents, the structures and systems in place enable them to access hubs of economic activity, reside in neighborhoods with quality housing in high opportunity areas, and access vital public services and amenities. For those who are less fortunate, it means dealing with social and economic isolation, living in neighbourhoods plagued by poverty and disinvestment, and in areas more susceptible to climate-related events.

This webinar is organised as part of the OECD Champion Mayors for Inclusive Growth initiative and in partnership with the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy. Findings from the forthcoming OECD report, Divided Cities: Understanding Intra-Urban Inequalities (to be launched at the Lincoln Institute’s International Conference on Municipal Fiscal Health), will set the scene by providing a set of comparable income segregation indicators across city jurisdictions in ten OECD countries plus Brazil and South Africa. The case of the Oak Park Regional Housing Center in the Greater Chicago area will demonstrate one community’s efforts to reduce racial segregation over a span of several decades, all while seeing a rise in overall property values. Perspectives from the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy will shed light on how land policies and higher levels of government (including regional authorities) can influence segregation outcomes.

Speakers:

• Marissa Plouin, Coordinator, OECD Champion Mayors initiative
• Paolo Veneri, Acting Head of Unit, Statistics and Territorial Analysis, main author of Divided Cities: Understanding Intra-Urban Inequalities
• Rob Breymaier, Executive Director, Oak Park Regional Housing Center
• Jessie Grogan, Senior Policy Analyst, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy

Participants outcomes:

• Understand the challenges that can result from segregation by income and/or race and the effects on urban development
• Gain insight on some of the underlying land policies and structures that impact and influence spatial inequality and segregation
• Learn some intentional interventions a community has taken to counter segregation and achieve both integration and growth