Environmental Justice Chronicle

In This Issue:
Overview of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
Center for Assessment and Policy Development Offers Grant
Philadelphia Neighborhood Plans
Interesting Environmental Justice Websites
DVRPC Hosts 13th EJ Task Force Meeting

Overview of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

Title VI was enacted as part of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964. It prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance. As President John F. Kennedy said in 1963:

Simple justice requires that public funds, to which all taxpayers of all races [colors, and national origins] contribute, not be spent in any fashion which encourages, entrenches, subsidizes or results in racial [color or national origin] discrimination.

Center for Assessment and Policy Development Offers Grant

Many organizations face difficulties in managing and sustaining their public involvement and environmental justice efforts due to organizational capacity issues such as the lack of measurable standards, and the limited availability of human and financial resources. Even with practitioners' acknowledgment of the importance of developing strategic partnerships across socio-economic lines, organizations lack the time and resources necessary for them to achieve this goal.

The Center for Assessment and Policy Development is offering a grant that will support the creation of a "tool-bag" to help communities assess how they are doing on such particular measures as well-being and equity, and how various minority groups are doing; assess the results of the processes and strategies that have been put into place to contribute to change; and determine lessons learned and best practices. Specifically, the project will help organizations stimulate dialogue about anti-racism and inclusion at a community and institutional level; identify outcomes they wish to track; gain access to existing qualitative information and quantified data related to the targets of their work; and apply the tools themselves. The amount of the grant is $119,218.00. The grant period is from 9/1/2003 - 8/31/2004.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The Center for Assessment and Policy Development at (610) 644-4540

Philadelphia Neighborhood Plans

Philadelphia is frequently described as a city of neighborhoods: a diversity of surroundings that may be distinguished by long-time residents and recent immigrants, university students, businesses, restaurants, cultural and recreational amenities, neighborhood institutions, landmarks, historical events, architecture and overall ambience. However, given that the City encompasses 129 square miles and has a limited number of resources, the socio-economic health of some neighborhoods has inevitably faired better than others. Among the recent efforts to address the disparities, DVRPC has partnered with the City and local organizations that have a history of community involvement to develop comprehensive, asset-based plans for three neighborhoods.

Chinatown, Mt. Airy and the West Powelton/Saunders Park area of West Philadelphia were identified by the project's funding source, the William Penn Foundation, as communities in need of stabilization and revitalization. DVRPC's involvement would simultaneously complement the efforts of the city's Neighborhood Transformation Initiative (NTI). The plans that would be produced as a result of the three studies are intended to provide a framework and blueprint for implementation actions that would, in turn, encourage NTI investment. An additional purpose of these plans is to provide a model approach and a template for ongoing planning in other Philadelphia communities.

The studies are being undertaken over a two-year period and enlist the knowledge, experience and expertise of local community development corporations, social service organizations, historical societies, private developers and community financing agencies, among others. A community outreach coordinator, V. Lamar Wilson of Wilson Associates, Inc., was hired to ensure active resident and stakeholder participation, and a consultant team, The Neighborhood Design Group headed by Kise Straw and Kolodner, was selected through a Request for Proposals to carry out the actual studies' process and written plans. The Regional Planning Division of DVRPC serves as manager of these projects.

Two committees were established to provide project oversight: an Administrative Working Group, consisting of DVRPC, the Philadelphia Neighborhood Development Collaborative (PNDC), the Philadelphia City Planning Commission, representatives of the three neighborhood CDCs and the William Penn Foundation, provides day-to-day management and direction, collaborative technical review and issues feedback; a Steering Committee,
consisting of representatives of city agencies, citywide non-profit organizations, community representatives and the private sector, reviews the scope of work, communicates the outcome of the process to their constituencies, and marshals interagency support to assist in project implementation activities. Furthermore, a task force was created for each community, led by the three CDCs: Mt. Airy USA, People's Emergency Center CDC and the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation. The Administrative Working Group, Steering Committee and individual task forces participate in meetings held periodically throughout the planning process.

Community workshops were conducted in July to address specific issues concerning each neighborhood. Attendees gathered around tables to discuss and offer solutions involving housing and community development, economic development and transportation. Also at that time, a Citywide Best Practice Forum was held, whereby representatives of the consultant team related case studies and examples of best practices from around the country to an audience of over 100 people. The consultant team presented its preliminary research and analysis, including demographics and market data, to each neighborhood task force in October. Committee and task force meetings will continue in late 2003 and in 2004, as the studies move forward. The final plans should be completed in May 2004.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Barry Seymour, Assistant Executive Director for Regional Planning, DVRPC, (215) 238-2831

Interesting Environmental Justice Websites

www.mott.org:
This is the web site of the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, a private philanthropy based in Flint, Michigan. Through four programs, grants are available in the United States and selected regions internationally.

www.capd.org:
The Center for Assessment and Policy Development (CAPD) is a non-profit organization founded in 1987 to help institutions, communities and public systems craft and execute thoughtful responses to pressing social issues - particularly, improving outcomes for children, adolescents, and families. The theme that ties our work together is positive social change.

www.usdoj.gov/crt/grants_statutes/legalman.html:
This site offers a Title VI Legal Manual overview of the legal principals of Title VI from the U. S. Department of Justice.

DVRPC Hosts 13th EJ Task Force Meeting

On Thursday September 18th, 2003, DVRPC hosted the 13th meeting of its Environmental Justice Public Involvement Task Force.

Attended by over 40 governmental, community and non-profit organizations from across the region, the meeting focused on DVRPC's newly published Environmental Justice Protocol. Additionally, DVRPC's Title VI/Environmental Justice Conference, which will be held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in June of 2004, was discussed. Discussion also centered upon the Environmental Justice Protocol, which will be reviewed by the DVRPC Board in January 2004 as a policy statement to be incorporated into the Commission's Public Participation Strategy.

Ms. Jeremee Johnson, who works with the Environmental Justice Division of the Office of Policy and Planning, NJ Department of Environmental Protection, gave a presentation on the Environmental Justice Roundtable Series which took place in Newark, NJ on October 16, 2003 and in Camden, NJ on October 21, 2003.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The Environmental Justice Public Involvement Task Force or Task Force meetings held at DVRPC, contact Ms. Kendall Lynn Miller, Manager of Public Involvement at 215-238-2871 or kmiller@dvrpc.org