
In summer of 2019 the City of Detroit launched the city’s first Sustainability Plan, the Sustainability Action Agenda (SAA). Equity was centered throughout the planning process and plan develop. The guiding principles of the plan integrates equity into all 43actions the City will undertake as a part of the SAA. Additionally, there is an action to launch a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiative. An interdepartmental team will launch the initiative the diversity, equity, and inclusion initiative to enable City processes to explicitly address issues of racial equity in neighborhood planning efforts, hiring and recruitment, budgeting, and contracting. To begin, we will design a racial equity assessment tool to increase equitable outcomes in City policy and decision-making processes. The tool will support users to identify how initiatives or plans will benefit or burden particular communities, what are the potential disproportionate impacts on communities of color, and how to proactively address disproportionate impacts. Its application will help decision makers remain accountable for ensuring equitable outcomes for all residents. In order to ensure that the tool is being applied, we will provide training for City staff to build competencies around diversity, equity, and inclusion.