PolicyLink uses equitable development tools and strategies to advance economic and social equity in low-income communities of color. Tools that support equitable development efforts can be found in the Equitable Development Toolkit. PolicyLink works with two community building efforts that are grounded in equitable development principles.
Market Creek Plaza is a 20-acre commercial real estate development project in a culturally diverse, under-invested neighborhood of San Diego . Developed by the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation (JCNI) the project is among the nation's first real estate development projects to be designed, built, and ultimately owned (in the most literal sense) by community residents. Market Creek Plaza is anchored by a large supermarket and includes ethnic restaurants, a fitness center, and an open-air amphitheater.
The Community Capital Investment Initiative (CCII) is designed to attract private investment into the 46 most impoverished Bay Area neighborhoods. The National Economic Development and Law Center, PolicyLink, and Urban Habitat are partners in the initiative to encourage the flow of private capital into communities through the Bay Area Family of Funds, which includes the Bay Area Smart Growth Fund, the California Environmental Redevelopment Fund, and the Community Equity Fund. The goal of the initiative is to reduce poverty, increase economic opportunity for residents, and promote smart growth.