Equity Matters
A growing body of work informs us that where we live impacts our quality of life and even our future. Researchers in community development, public health, adult and juvenile justice, education, economic development, and urban planning have all concluded that place matters to life quality and outcomes – as much as any other determinant.
We know that having access to opportunity means having the ability to obtain a quality education, being able to have a safe and affordable place to live, access to sustainable employment, access to affordable and reliable transportation, outlets for democratic participation, living in a community that has access to fresh, healthy foods, and more. By maximizing access to these critical opportunity elements, the likelihood that people can meet their full potential benefiting both the individual and community as a whole increases dramatically.
We know that it’s generally good to live in Washtenaw County, where high-level analysis reflects a healthy, wealthy, and thriving populace compared to other counties in the state and nation. Key prosperity markers including wealth and median incomes, housing prices, educational attainment, and job growth are on the rise. But, looking more closely, health, wealth, and opportunity are not equitably distributed. While significant portions of the county are thriving, other parts are struggling.
We know that opportunity is not evenly distributed throughout Washtenaw County. However, we see examples from around the nation that this geography of opportunity has the possibility to be changed by enhancing opportunities in opportunity-deprived areas and connecting people to existing opportunities throughout the county.
In developing the Opportunity Index, we seek to convey the distribution of opportunity across Washtenaw County through maps and/or data, to educate the community (defined as policy-makers, community institutions, businesses, and the general public). Beyond education, we believe that collecting and communicating data through this “opportunity lens” – and complementing that lens with strategies and tactics that foster human potential – will provide the community with a common, understandable framework by which to make policy and resources allocation decisions that can create more equitable opportunity across the county.
We know that it’s generally good to live in Washtenaw County, where high-level analysis reflects a healthy, wealthy, and thriving populace compared to other counties in the state and nation. Key prosperity markers including wealth and median incomes, housing prices, educational attainment, and job growth are on the rise. But, looking more closely, health, wealth, and opportunity are not equitably distributed. While significant portions of the county are thriving, other parts are struggling.
We know that opportunity is not evenly distributed throughout Washtenaw County. However, we see examples from around the nation that this geography of opportunity has the possibility to be changed by enhancing opportunities in opportunity-deprived areas and connecting people to existing opportunities throughout the county.
In developing the Opportunity Index, we seek to convey the distribution of opportunity across Washtenaw County through maps and/or data, to educate the community (defined as policy-makers, community institutions, businesses, and the general public). Beyond education, we believe that collecting and communicating data through this “opportunity lens” – and complementing that lens with strategies and tactics that foster human potential – will provide the community with a common, understandable framework by which to make policy and resources allocation decisions that can create more equitable opportunity across the county.