Building Sustainable Infrastructure for Community Co-Leadership in Planning

In 2015, the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) launched the “Health Equity Zone” (HEZ) model to advance health equity through a “new approach to prevention work that leverages place-based, community-led solutions to address the social determinants of health (SDoH).” In the past eight years, Rhode Island has supported the formation of 15 equity zone collaboratives and invested over $43 million in public health funding towards the HEZs to develop and maintain relationships and support community-identified needs that have led to positive socioeconomic and environmental outcomes.

The Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) adapted this model to create the Healthy Chicago Equity Zones which are six geographic areas covering all of Chicago, each led by a regional partner that supports hyperlocal neighborhood collaboratives. Over three years, CDPH has invested $29 million into the Equity Zones, providing capacity-building, direct relationships with city departments, and funding and support to conduct assessments of local priorities. The Equity Zones are developing intervention action plans and partnering with city departments to address their priorities.

The Equity Zone model offers a mechanism through which planners can create more meaningful community engagement and better results by incorporating equity not only into outcomes but into processes as well.