Equity
Our role in advancing equity
Our role in advancing equity
As the regional policy-making body, planning agency, and provider of essential services for the seven-county Twin Cities region, the Met Council has a role in advancing equity. In Imagine 2050, our regional development guide, equity is both a shared value and a regional goal.
Equity as a shared regional value
We value the people and communities of our region. Our region is economically and culturally vibrant. We also recognize, however, the harm and disparities that injustices, including racism, have created.
We are dedicated to creating systems, policies, and programs that repair and heal past harm, foster an equitable future, and eliminate disparities. Communities that have been marginalized in the past will be at the center of this work in leadership roles.
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Equity as a goal for our region
In Imagine 2050, equity is an essential piece of one of five shared regional goals and is stated as follows:
Our region is equitable and inclusive. Racial inequities and injustices experienced by historically marginalized communities have been eliminated; and all people feel welcome, included, and empowered.
To achieve this goal, the Met Council has developed a series of frameworks to guide regional and local planning processes, the work of the Met Council, decision-making across the region, and implementation of priorities established in Imagine 2050.
Equity framework
A person-centered approach must guide the region’s efforts in creating an equitable region and closing racial disparities. A shared understanding of equity is essential in working toward a more equitable region. Our equity statement:
Equity means that historically excluded communities – especially Black communities, American Indian communities, and communities of color – have measurably improved outcomes through an intentional and consistent practice of adapting policies, systems, services, and spending so that they contribute to the repair of both historic and ongoing injustice.
In partnership with the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, the Met Council developed a regional equity framework. The equity framework guided the development of Imagine 2050 and will continue to guide the Met Council’s work and the implementation of Imagine 2050. The grounding concepts of the equity framework include contextualized, community-centered, and reparative (see figure, this page) to provide a lens through which planning, processes, decision-making, and policies can be evaluated.
More information about equity and related frameworks in Imagine 2050.
Why equity?
The Twin Cities metropolitan area ranks high among the nation’s largest metro areas for overall income, low unemployment, and sustained economic growth, but this region also ranks high for negative outcomes. Among the 25 most populous metro areas, the Twin Cities metro has the largest — or among the largest — disparities along racial and ethnic lines compared with our peers.
Promoting equity enhances opportunities for everyone
This region has a choice. Improving access to opportunity can make people’s lives better. Closing these disparities will make the Twin Cities region stronger and more prosperous. The Met Council’s analysis of Census data indicates that if existing earnings gaps by race and employment segregation were eliminated, it could improve the earnings of workers who are Black, Indigenous, and people of color by nearly $11 billion (2025 Regional Economic Framework).
Role of the Met Council Equity Advisory Committee.