The Fair Housing and Equity Assessment (FHEA) provides an opportunity for diverse stakeholders in a region to develop a shared picture of the housing and infrastructure dynamics that enhance or limit opportunity — and to develop forward-looking strategies and partnerships that can address some of the region’s greatest challenges.1 Through this ‘21st century orientation to fair housing’ — a candid and broadly shared assessment of residential opportunity — municipalities and regional entities can identify objectives and priorities for future investments to enhance equity and access to opportunity and address the needs of communities facing the greatest challenges.
What factors will regions have the opportunity to consider by conducting a FHEA? Regional partnerships can examine such things as how the big picture public investments in infrastructure have shaped the development patterns and the opportunities available to communities in their regions; which communities have faced underinvestment of key amenities; or how immigrant communities or people with disabilities can access opportunity. By reviewing how investments (or lack thereof) and land use decisions have contributed to opportunity (or to concentrations of poverty), regions can plan for greater sustainability and prosperity for all.