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High performing organizations across real estate practice are working to prioritize health and social equity as part of their ESG commitment. In the pursuit of resilience, health must be an imperative for all, not an amenity for few. However, many feel a gap between these ideals and industry guidance on how to operationalize them in projects.

Join Mithun partner Erin Christensen Ishizaki for “Frameworks for Centering Health Equity in Practice” to explore how a conceptual framework for how power systems in primarily White led planning, real estate and design fields affect health equity. People who work in planning professions have a significant role to play in creating a more equitable society where everyone has the same opportunity. Health equity means that all people have equal opportunity to quality and length of life—that we need to focus on those who have been most impacted and harmed in the past—and it is largely influenced by decisions made throughout the planning, policy, real estate and design fields in the built environment. Speakers representing health, design, and planning will explore how principles on confronting power and privilege for inclusive, equitable and healthy communities can meld with everyday planning and design practice to transform the way we work.

In addition, the session will share a beta action framework, Centering Health Equity, for practitioners to critically challenge everyday practice. The framework was built on nine months of field research with input from more than 60 built environment practitioners. In the spirit of the project’s iterative and collaborative approach, the session will invite attendees to explore and test the framework through an interactive exercise and to join in a community of practice.

Erin’s co-presenters include City of Bellingham long range planner McKayla Dunfey, City of Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability assistant planner Hanna Osman and The Policy Gap founder Rodolfo Rodríguez.

Date Posted: 10.15.2021