From the Editors
How to Put Climate Justice into Action in Housing and Development
To apply climate justice in real-world projects, start by answering these four questions.
If climate justice is to yield substantive outcomes instead of mere slogans, practitioners must translate it into specific actions. Because housing policies at every level of government have been instrumental in creating and sustaining institutionalized racism, the housing industry has a special responsibility to make climate justice a part of its standard processes thoroughly and quickly.
We offer this definition of climate justice:
Climate justice is the principle that actions to mitigate or adapt to climate change should equitably distribute their benefits, redress existing inequities, and dismantle institutional racism.
How should the housing industry apply the principle of climate justice in practice? We suggest every housing project and program incorporate climate justice in its project charter that delineates its approach to answering each of following questions in plain English:
What are the project’s specific goals that prioritize restoration over harm-reduction?
Without specific goals, a program or policy’s approach to climate justice will be haphazardly successful at best and detrimental at worst. At a minimum, it should do no harm, intentionally or unintentionally. But, a truly justice-oriented process would identify actions that go far beyond “do no harm” and then make them happen. For example:
New flood maps show that an apartment building slated for rehabilitation is now in the 100-year flood plain. A harm-reducing goal would be to manage risk by providing first-floor flood protection through dry floodproofing. A restorative goal, on the other hand, would provide housing to the residents of the first-floor apartments in a location that has zero flood risk.
Extreme heat will be the most deadly effect of climate change, particularly for seniors. A harm-reducing goal would provide air conditioners to all residents. A restorative goal would provide ACs that turn on automatically during heat emergencies at no cost to the residents.
How will we ensure full participation from residents and their representatives in substantive decisions?
A strong commitment to climate justice demands far more than simply checking a box on resident participation. The residents and representatives of the communities most affected by climate change must have a significant role in shaping the policies designed to help them.
Direct and open discourse with those affected is essential. Early engagement in the planning and policy-making process can create allies in developing workable solutions. In housing however, this is easier said than done, in no small part because a typical pre-construction schedule is insufficient to develop the trust necessary to meaningfully engage communities.
The community workshops that have accompanied city-sponsored development projects in recent years offer some examples of projects striving to do more than “check the box.” For example,
NYC announced recently that, after a decade-long delay during which local community groups (including the non-profit member of the development team) lobbied for increased affordable housing and anti-gentrification measures, the redevelopment of a large Brooklyn brownfield site known as Public Place (aka Gowanus Green) will proceed as 100% affordable housing. This resulted in a 75% increase in the number of below-market apartments from the original 2008 plan. The public process for Public Place occurred in the context of a broader neighborhood rezoning, which itself was designed for increased local participation.
How are we committing to building long-term relationships?
Consensus decisions grow from relationships of trust, which can take years to cultivate. Agreement is much more difficult to reach when the parties start by sitting on opposite sides of the negotiating table. Institutions and private developers alike should be prepared to build trust by investing in long-term relationships.
In Northeast Portland OR, Living Cully is a long-term collaboration among two affordable housing developers, a social service agency, and an environmental justice organization. Established in 2010, Living Cully’s program to develop local grassroots leaders has yielded several successes. For example, Habitat for Humanity agreed to invest in weatherization of existing low-income homes and to convert a vacant former strip club into a community center, along with constructing the single family homes for which it is better known. Living Cully also recently released a community energy plan centered on climate justice.
In the months following Hurricane Katrina, Enterprise Community Partners established a new office in New Orleans to bring its capacity-building-based housing development program to the reconstruction efforts. In redeveloping the Lafitte public housing project, Enterprise not only brought together local stakeholders, but also traveled out of state to reach former Lafitte residents in their new homes as far away as Atlanta to solicit their participation in the redevelopment planning.
How are we putting low-income people and BIPOC neighborhoods at the front of the line when allocating resources?
New York City’s COVID-19 vaccination equity plan, prioritizes for vaccination public housing and 27 neighborhoods hard-hit by the virus for vaccination. This recent health-sector example intersects with housing because crowding at home has been identified as a risk factor for Covid infection.
In energy policy, New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) requires that disadvantaged communities receive priority for GHG-reduction projects and at least 20% of the overall benefits of CLCPA-related investments. Similarly, President-elect Biden’s Build Back Better plan calls for disadvantaged communities to receive 40% of the benefits.
Climate Justice Should be a Standard Feature of Project Charters.
Project charters should make sure that climate justice goals are baked in from the start. It should describe specific actions, assign responsibilities for them, and set budgets and timelines. The inclusion of climate justice in the project charter increases the likelihood of turning words into action.
