Join housing, transportation, and community development advocates at The Summit 2025 in Washington, DC, on March 26-27.
What is the Equity Summit?
The Summit gathers housing, transportation, and community development advocates and leaders to learn from one another and identify tools to advance racial equity through smart growth. The dynamic two-day program will be on March 26-27, 2025, in Washington, DC, at the iconic Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library.
The Equity Summit will uplift strategies to advance racial equity in smart growth amidst growing political uncertainty in 2025 and beyond, as well as a shift away from explicit equity initiatives by elected officials, state agencies, and the private sector.
Code of conduct
All Equity Summit attendees have the right to enjoy the Equity Summit equally. Illegal or disruptive behavior that interferes with the conduct of reasonable business during the Equity Summit, or any attendee’s safety or comfort, including behavior that impedes or prevents accessibility, safety, services, or requests, behavior that discriminates based on age, ability, race, ethnicity, gender, religion, political or institutional affiliation, or sexual orientation, and harassment of any kind, is strictly prohibited and may result in removal from the Equity Summit and being barred from returning without refund. Such violations may be reported to legal authorities. If you experience disruptive or discriminatory behavior at the Equity Summit, please report the issue to a Smart Growth America staff member or email a complaint to equitysummit@smartgrowthamerica.org. If you witness a crime or have an emergency that requires the police, please call 911.
So what is smart growth?
Smart growth looks different from place to place—it’s an overall approach to development that encourages a mix of building types and uses, diverse housing and transportation options, development within existing neighborhoods, and robust community engagement. The 10 principles below, developed several decades ago but unpacked in this guide from US EPA, are considered the foundation of a smart growth approach—click on each principle to expand and learn more.
At Smart Growth America, we know that equity is at the heart of our work to create healthy, prosperous, and resilient communities. But how do we ensure that economic opportunities and the benefits of community revitalization are shared by all—including residents of rural communities and smaller cities and those who have been historically disadvantaged—especially in the face of a shifting political landscape?
The 2025 Equity Summit is your chance to explore these questions and more. For nearly five years, the Equity Summit has brought together practitioners, advocates, and leaders to discuss equity in smart growth. This year’s theme, Building forward: A shared movement for vibrant communities, reflects our commitment to driving progress while adapting to new realities and bringing more people than ever into our movement.
The Equity Summit isn’t just a gathering; it’s a call to action. Whether you’re working on the ground in your community, influencing policy at the state or national level, or seeking innovative solutions to complex challenges, this event will provide the tools, connections, and inspiration to keep moving equity forward—even when the path isn’t easy.
Announcing our keynote speaker: Jerusalem Demsas
We’re thrilled to announce Jerusalem Demsas, staff writer at The Atlantic and thought leader on housing, urban policy, and economic equity, as the keynote speaker for the 2025 Equity Summit. Jerusalem is known for her ability to connect policy with real-world impact, and her writing deftly sheds light on the challenges and opportunities in creating equitable communities. Her keynote address will inspire us to think boldly as we build a shared movement for vibrant communities. Learn more>>
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