Metropolitan Opportunity
Equitable access to safe, affordable housing, efficient transportation, and good jobs is fundamental to building prosperous metropolitan areas.
Why It Matters
For millions of Americans, opportunities to seek better futures are too often limited by the simple fact of where they live. Across entire regions of the country, cities are in decline, industries have collapsed, houses are in foreclosure, and—even before the economic downturn—jobs and services had moved to the suburbs and beyond.
Decades of inadequate public policy and planning have created concentrated pockets of poverty in urban centers devoid of opportunity and inner ring suburbs that are experiencing a more rapid growth of poverty. Today, the economic downturn and chronic problems associated with joblessness and urban blight make the effort to build strong communities and a promising future for families particularly urgent.
The Focus of Our Work
We are working across the United States to support efforts that reach beyond individual neighborhoods and cities to connect residents with opportunities in their broader metropolitan economies. We support organizations that pursue integrated approaches to housing, land use and environmental planning, public transportation and community infrastructure, and aligned workforce opportunities.
Our work promotes smarter public policy and planning, and links regional efforts to build economic growth and competitiveness over the long term with emerging national efforts to coordinate funding streams among cabinet agencies. We believe this approach advances a new vision of smart, regional development that integrates key elements of metropolitan life to build strong and sustainable communities.
Leadership
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Darren Walker
Vice President, Economic Opportunity and Assets
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George McCarthy
Director, Metropolitan Opportunity
Initiatives
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