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As we sharpen our focus on the connection of human health, social equity and the built environment, our design and construction practice is recognizing the opportunity to positively impact communities beyond the boundaries of building projects. Data from the Urban Land Institute’s 2019 research on the state of health and social equity in real estate practice demonstrates that, even prior to the pandemic, the real estate industry was working to standardize its approach to health and well-being and was only just beginning to develop an approach to social equity.

Join Mithun partner Anne Torney for “Taking Action to Improve Community Health and Social Equity,” to learn about the current state of adoption of health and social equity promoting practices, key practices and successful implementation. The session will incorporate an overview of ULI’s research findings; discuss how project teams can implement these practices and how USGBC’s LEED framework can accelerate uptake; and demystify the definition of social equity in the context of the built environment, identifying how projects can benefit not only occupants and the surrounding communities, but also employment policies and supply chains. The presentation includes a case study of community engagement on Mithun’s Resilient by Design project in the Bay Area, as an example of how designers can lead by listening to and amplifying the efforts of community leaders rather than taking a more transactional approach to community engagement.

Anne’s co-presenters include USGBC director of health research Kelly Worden, Urban Tilth project manager / community engagement coordinator Princess Robinson, and Rachel Moscovich, co-author of the forthcoming Urban Land Institute Health and Social Equity in Real Estate: State of the Market Report.

Date Posted: 10.22.2020