Building One America: A National Summit on Regional Opportunity
04-29-2021
| This two-day gathering will include local elected officials, grassroots leaders, advocates and congressional representatives from small towns, cities and suburbs in metropolitan regions across the nation. Confirmed speakers include: Bruce Katz, advisor to HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan and Director of the Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brookings Institute Ron Sims, Deputy Secretary for HUD and Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor and Assistant to President Obama for Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement. The purpose of the convening is to demonstrate bi-partisan, grassroots and congressional support for the administration’s initiatives aimed at defending and expanding the middle class while addressing some of our nation’s most pressing problems through innovative regional and metropolitan strategies. The conference will provide research and testimony to highlight the harms of past policies that have divided Metropolitan America. Sound regional strategies around housing, transportation, infrastructure and regional governance that can positively impact education, the environment, poverty and our global competitiveness by revitalizing urban areas and promoting inclusive and stable regions will be described. The national coalition sponsoring this summit is composed of faith-based organizations, local elected officials and civil rights leaders from metropolitan areas in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut, Colorado, California, Minnesota, Missouri, Illinois, Maryland and Michigan. These groups have achieved regional collaboration in metropolitan areas across the country and are pursuing support from the Obama Administration and Congress for policies and programs with proven success in nourishing the growth of sustainable inclusive communities. Speakers at the summit will present these ideas and discuss how to take them to scale as national policy. Founding Sponsors: Metropolitan Area Research Council (MARC), Gamaliel Foundation, Institute on Race & Poverty (IRP), Kirwan Institute, Poverty & Race Research Action Council (PRRAC), NJ Regional Coalition, BRIDGE (Baltimore), Southeastern PA First Suburbs Project, Ohio Organizing Collaborative. Supporting Sponsors: Innovative Housing Institute, Inclusive Communities Project (Dallas), Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program |