This policy example is a companion to the report, A Blueprint for the Next Generation of Federal Place-Based Policy, and offers consideration of how the blueprint’s recommendations might apply to transportation policy and investments. The blueprint offers a two-step process for policy analysis and program design that starts with high-level, analytical questions that help provide the aspirational framework for then addressing a series of specific design decisions. It aims to help federal agency officials, congressional staff, and policy advocates design place-based policies and programs that respond to the priorities of local practitioners to actively address racial inequity and injustice, bridge sectors and policy domains, respect and build community voice and power, deliver sufficient resources and lasting system reforms, and promote continuous learning.

President Biden took on the monumental task of being the first administration to name equity as the responsibility of the federal government. The work of this second year must be focused on ensuring efforts to advance equity not only deepen but endure across future administrations. This brief outlines how the Biden Administration can hold itself accountable to its equity commitments and build on this foundation to ensure the federal government finally serves all people.

Achieving equity through federal resources requires intentional planning and a sharp focus on delivering measurable benefits to those most impacted. The lessons from past recovery efforts are clear: absent an intentional approach, current economic and racial inequities will become further entrenched. To meet the urgency and potential of this moment, policymakers must ensure recovery resources are used to support the hardest-hit workers, businesses, and communities and commit to building an equitable economy. These 10 priorities provide guidance and support to policymakers at all levels of government committed to advancing an equitable recovery.