Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ODEI) is responsible for supporting the Chief of Planning and Leadership Team by leading diversity and inclusion management within the Planning Department. The ODEI focuses on four pillars of diversity and inclusion management: Workforce Diversity, Supplier Diversity, Community Engagement, and Language Access. Commitment and communication are necessary for building a more equitable city for all, especially Boston’s black communities and communities of color.

Supplier Diversity Mission

The ODEI ensures that the BPDA sources goods and services, in all commodity categories, from diverse suppliers, with a focus on expanding the number and capacity of certified diverse suppliers and expanding the variety of goods and services offered by those diverse suppliers. This mission includes developing policies to enhance inclusion efforts within the procurement, development, planning, and real estate processes. Learn more about the Equitable Procurement Plan.

Workforce Diversity Mission

The ODEI works to reflect the diversity of the citizens that make up the population of the City of Boston by developing the Planning Department’s workforce with a strategic focus on recruiting, retaining, and promoting the best diverse talent available, and applying new and innovative approaches to attracting and retaining talent that will help ensure that diversity and inclusion is an integral part of the BPDA employment process.

Community Engagement Mission

The ODEI supports the Planning Department in using targeted meeting strategies based on community-specific needs that may include in-person meetings in the community or alternative meeting strategies, such as telephone town halls or virtual meetings, that will engage community members whose voices have not been heard or whose input has been marginalized, as well as those experiencing mobility challenges, limitations on availability due to family or work responsibilities, literacy challenges, or language barriers.

Language Access

The Office of Language and Communications Access works to ensure that all Bostonians, regardless of the languages they speak, have equal access to city services, information, and participation. Learn more about the Language Access Program.

Additionally, the ODEI works to empower the future generation of Bostonians through collaborations with local high schools, colleges, universities, and professional organizations. Together, we offer engaging summer programs and internships for youth, equipping them with the skills and knowledge they need to become tomorrow’s planners, designers, architects, and builders.

The ODEI also is engaged in policies and processes within the field of real estate development, both in the City of Boston and across Massachusetts, through partnerships like the CommonWealth Development Compact. This partnership between Cambridge, Somerville, Salem, Lynn, the Eastern Bank Foundation, the Civic Action Project (CAP), the Boston Society for Architecture (BSA), and the Builders of Color Coalition (BCC) is designed to build economic opportunity for minority and women-owned firms, who have historically been vastly under-represented in private real estate development.