Resilient Rivers
With the release of Resilient DC, we launched a Resilient Rivers program to rethink the relationship between DC’s waterways and the communities that thrive along them. This program will result in infrastructure designs that achieve multiple, community-informed objectives. Working together as government, philanthropy, and the community, we will make the goals and objectives of Resilient DC manifest in the communities along the Anacostia River. Specifically, we will:
Use inclusive engagement to inform the design of capital investments that do double duty – addressing the impact of climate change while providing increased community services, particularly for vulnerable riverfront communities.
Proactively invest in anti-displacement strategies, recognizing the economic pressures that often accompany increased investment.
Equity in Governance
Equity is fundamental to resilience. Acute shocks, such as hurricanes and building fires, often expose long-simmering inequalities that are caused by chronic stresses. Furthermore, chronic stresses, left unaddressed, an be as damaging as acute shocks. Inclusive cities adopt policies that promote greater equity and help correct historical wrongs that have resulted in equality of opportunity.
We recognize that decades of structural and institutional racial bias has created persistent racial inequalities across a wide-range of indicators of opportunity. Race should no longer be an accurate predictor of wealth, achievement, or health in DC. We will accelerate and make explicit efforts to eliminate racial disparities.
We will also build a more inclusive and responsive government that establishes a robust feedback loop between engagement and decision-making to deliver more equitable outcomes for all DC residents.