Social Safety Net
The safety net should work for working-age adults
Cities and states across the country continue to grapple with the economic fallout from COVID-19 and the ensuing job losses and business closures. City leaders are concurrently facing public outcry for racial justice that is precipitating the need for any economic recovery to address the deep racial inequalities that were laid bare by the pandemic. With the right tools, leaders can develop recovery strategies that create higher-quality and racially inclusive local economies.
In an effort to provide these tools and resources, the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program (Brookings Metro) launched the COVID-19 Metro Recovery Watch, a substantial, one-stop portal for state and local leaders interested in advancing inclusive economic recovery in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. It includes a framework for pursuing high-value, racially inclusive growth, a series of actionable recovery ideas, case studies of creative local responses to the crisis and a data-driven index that charts the pandemic’s impact on America’s metro areas.
On Tuesday, September 29, Brookings Metro hosted the first in a series of virtual events highlighting principles and strategies for advancing inclusive economic recovery. The launch event featured Chicago Mayor Lori H. Lightfoot in conversation with Chicago Community Trust CEO and Brookings Trustee Helene Gayle, discussing how the city is leveraging the public, private, and philanthropic sectors to rebuild better and set a course to be more racially inclusive.
Viewers submitted questions by emailing [email protected] or tweeting to @BrookingsMetro using the hashtag #MetroRecovery.
Save-the-date for the next events in the Economic Recovery in American Cities series:
- Wednesday, October 21
- Wednesday, November 18
