Our Values

We believe that equity is a critical pillar to our work and partnerships. Non-inclusive and non-equitable practice can impede both the process and outcome of successful community and municipal development, and it is critical to face these issues directly. We strive to continually improve our understanding of equity noting that it is a collaborative process with nuance in each context. Our hope is that when working with partners we can walk through the following questions to guide our work and collaboration:

• Who are the people most affected by this work?

• Who stands to benefit? Are they in the room?

• Who is paying? Who gets paid?

• How can we surface assumptions that create barriers for the people most impacted by the project?

We believe our work to support diversity, equity, and inclusion is at the foundation of our mission to develop healthy, just, and sustainable communities. Healthy communities are places where all people have a voice and a sense of agency in responding to the needs of their community. We recognize that there are deep historical and structural barriers for many communities that impede them from having a voice or a sense of agency in municipal planning projects. We believe that arts and cultural strategies are an essential way to respond to such inequalities.

The questions we ask are evolving as we learn from and with the communities and partners with whom we collaborate. We work to continually refine our own understanding of equity, and facilitate processes that support the flourishing of all people.