Enhance Urban Life Through Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion [Video]

This brief is part of “Election 2024: Policy Playbook,” a series by Rice University and the Baker Institute that offers critical context, analysis, and recommendations to inform policymaking in the United States and Texas.

• America’s cities are increasingly diverse, but diversity without equity and inclusion is problematic.
• City residents from historically excluded groups (HEGs) face critical inequities related to health care, environmental living conditions, and business ownership. 
• To strengthen our nation’s cities and enhance urban life, policymakers should prioritize inclusivity by removing systemic barriers in how vital resources are provided and allocated to residents.
• Doing so would improve the well-being and quality of life for all city residents, bolster community engagement, and drive economic growth.

Roughly 80% of the U.S. population live in cities, and diversity within U.S. cities is on the rise. Diversity can focus the representation of various identities within a population, such as race, ethnicity, age, disability, or gender identity. However, many measures of diversitywithin cities …