Recent funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) offers opportunities for communities to jointly and equitably pursue local climate action and economic development. Though these goals have a mutually reinforcing relationship, current work at their intersection is still nascent and needs an explicit equity lens.

In a discussion with organizations in Fresno, California, and Rochester, New York, that are pursuing local community and climate goals, we identified three ways cities can advance equitable climate and economic development actions.

  1. In planning documents, align short-term and long-term climate action, economic development, and equity goals.
    Planning processes are an important vehicle through which local communities can jointly address climate action, economic health, and equity. There is funding available for communities to develop climate resilience plans for addressing the growing impacts of climate change. However, according to a forthcoming report by Urban Institute researchers, equity has not been consistently evaluated or operationalized in local climate action plans, and community and economic development plans have not consistently integrated climate action.
  2. Meaningfully incorporate community input throughout planning processes and move beyond community engagement to community ownership.
    Local partners shared that effective community engagement is easier said than done, in part because of challenging funding timelines and local bureaucratic systems. Although there are many methods for authentic community engagement, one approach to building trust and elevating community voice is to identify where community input can actually shape outcomes. Discussion participants suggested that planning bodies should ask themselves: “In what areas can community representatives hold decisionmaking power, and how do we make that happen?”
  3. Leverage multiple funding streams to equitably advance local and regional work.
    Federal funding is available at unprecedented levels—including funding for climate resilience and greening the electric grid, as well as investments in job training and building sustainable transportation infrastructure. Several programs support the flow of resources to local entities. The Community, Equity & Resiliency Initiative can help communities navigate IRA investments, and the Local Infrastructure Hub can help communities apply for infrastructure funding.

Read the full article about climate action planning by Rebecca Marx at Urban Institute.