Equitable Cities: The Impact of Policy

 

Texas Rep. Carl Sherman joined Dirt Work for a courageous conversation on the impact of policy on urban planning and the equitability of cities.

Sherman has been identified as a transformational leader in faith, government and business. As a member of the Texas House of Representatives, he proudly represents District 109, which includes many areas in southern Dallas County. Prior to his role in the Texas House, he served as the Mayor of Desoto, Texas as well as the City Manager in the cities of Ferris and Hutchins, Texas.

Independent of his public service, Sherman is currently a senior pastor at a local faith institution, as well as a former tech entrepreneur during a career that saw him take an electronic payment processing company public on both domestic and foreign stock exchanges.

An equitable city is defined as one is where all residents have equal opportunity to thrive and prosper, where health outcomes are consistent across all community, racial, and ethnic groups, and where environmental benefits are shared equally by everyone. Sherman asserts that the origin of many of the issues we face today are a byproduct of policies enacted by our forefathers during the Revolutionary War and the Civil War.

Lawmakers and citizens alike have an important role in promoting and creating equitable cities. To highlight that change will require both policy change and rather culture change, Sherman referenced Peter Drucker’s quote, which says that “culture eats strategy for breakfast.”

For listeners interested in learning more about the cross-section of policy and real estate, check out Richard Rothstein’s The Color of Law and Jemar Tisby’s The Color of Compromise.

Catchup on Past Episodes of Dirt Work!

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Image

Latest

community
Bringing Community into the Transformation of K-12 Schools: The Impact of Mentors, Local Voices, and Student Entrepreneurs
July 24, 2025

As K-12 schools across the U.S. struggle to recover from the learning loss and emotional fallout of the pandemic, a deeper reckoning is underway—one that challenges the very foundation of who’s responsible for educating our children. Despite billions in federal relief, a third of U.S. students are not even reading at a basic level…

Read More
9 Proven User-Generated Content Strategies That Actually Work
July 24, 2025

User-generated content has become the backbone of modern marketing—but most advice focuses on theory rather than execution. We asked nine marketing leaders who’ve built successful UGC programs to share exactly how they do it, what works, and what doesn’t. Here’s what we learned from their real-world experience. Start With Direct Customer Outreach Kyle Bernard, who…

Read More
Blending Intuition and Metrics to Elevate Sterile Processing
Smarter Sterile Processing Starts with Data—Boosting Efficiency, Cutting Costs, and Improving Patient Care
July 24, 2025

In a healthcare ecosystem increasingly driven by data, sterile processing departments (SPDs) find themselves at a crossroads—balancing precision and pace, safety and speed. As hospitals look to reduce inefficiencies and protect patient safety, analytics tools are transforming sterile processing from an often overlooked backroom function into a vital, data-enhanced frontline of care. Research shows…

Read More
college success
Freshman Year Survival Guide: How Overlooked High School Lessons Lead to College Success
July 24, 2025

Nobody warns you that college success isn’t just about brains — it’s about balance, too. In this refreshingly honest episode of Professional Quotient: Conversations that Build Equity, hosted by Jason Winningham, high school teacher Jacob Mutchler reunites with two of his former students, Lilly Salcedo and Oscar Davila, to reflect on what really mattered…

Read More