Our Work

Communities are changing more rapidly than ever before. We founded Root to equip our clients with the research and policy needed to effectively respond to changing community needs. Our work is informed by economic theory, data and statistical analysis, and community input. We conduct a wide range of studies, all of which provide custom, creative, and high-value analysis and strategy for our clients.

Housing and Community Development

Housing is a fundamental part of all communities, and a critical part of community development. Yet the types of housing needed, and the best way to deliver housing to residents, differ due to household characteristics, economic pressures, and community resources.

Community Engagement

Data and statistics paint a picture of a place, but the stories and experiences of the people who live there tell us what the picture means. Our approach to community engagement is rooted in our decades of experience connecting with people of all cultures, incomes, and lived experiences.

Language Access

Language access planning is an important part of creating equitable, culturally dynamic, and welcoming communities—in addition to meeting certain federal funding requirements.

Child Care and Education

We assess the economic benefits of enabling parents to work through child care provision, the value of post high-school education and training programs, and the economic gains communities realize by connecting school quality and housing choice.

Economic Mobility

Economic mobility is a factor in all of our work but this issue goes beyond housing and economic development to influence a host of program and policy decisions for local governments from human services, to transportation, to cultural investments.

Fair Housing

Our approach to fair housing involves a broader assessment of how well residents of all backgrounds can access opportunity. We supplement HUD data with customized maps and data models identifying how economic opportunity could be improved.

The Root Policy Team has worked on over 300 projects in 35 states.

View Root Policy Projects