The Equitable and People-Centered Pathway
Create a community where everyone has a voice.
Build more just, livable and inclusive communities fit to address the systemic causes of poverty and injustice while safeguarding the natural support systems for human health.
Equity's Key Role
A truly resilient community is only achievable when natural and built environments support cohesive communities in which all residents have a voice, and where diversity and cultural identities are woven into the social fabric.
Our Approach to Equitable Development
Assess
Learn from your Community
“Early and often” is our motto for community involvement in local government planning. The 3 Dimensions of Social Equity outline an Access-Participation-Opportunity model piloted in industrial-legacy cities.
Act
Integrate Equity into your Operations
ICLEI’s GreenClimateCities framework outlines an Assess-Act-Accelerate model that stands on three pillars: Equity, Climate Adaptation, and Climate Mitigation. ICLEI members that adopt this integrated climate action framework follow steps to ensure each pillar is integrated through the process.
Accelerate
Collaborate and Lead the Movement
Learn from the Urban Transitions Alliance, ICLEI’s post-industrial legacy cities that are putting equity at the core of building a green economy.
ICLEI USA People-Centered Projects
Southeast Florida EPA Climate Pollution Reduction Grant
Southeast Florida is working to meet the climate action planning requirements of the EPA’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) program. Compliance with these requirements will
Tampa Bay Regional Climate Pollution Reduction Grant
The Tampa Bay Regional Climate Pollution Reduction Grant project supported local governments in meeting the EPA’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) requirements. By completing these
Alamo Area Climate Pollution Reduction Grant
The Alamo Area Climate Pollution Reduction Grant project supported local governments in meeting the EPA’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) requirements. By fulfilling these requirements,
More Projects
- The CityFood program is a flagship program of ICLEI that aims to accelerate local and regional government action toward sustainable food systems transformation. It spans a number of projects and initiatives across all of ICLEI’s Regional Offices and brings together local and regional governments as well as critical global and regional partners.
- Integrated Climate Action Planning cohorts walk local governments through a multi-month, live group-training experience.
- Social equity in planning workshops offer governments an interactive opportunity to engage with the who-why-how of equitable planning.
- ICLEI members Baltimore and Pittsburgh are using spatial mapping and local champions to establish a baseline for equitable planning, sometimes presented as equity indicators.
- Hayward, CA, and ICLEI’s Unite2Green pilots a youth climate ambassador program in an underserved neighborhood.
ICLEI USA People-Centered Cohorts
Cohorts are guided group technical assistance programs that guide communities to results. Learn More.
Addressing Climate-Induced Relocation
People across the U.S. are on the move as a result of climate change. In 2023, 2.5 million U.S. residents were displaced by 28 separate
Creating an Implementable Sustainability Plan Cohort
This capacity-building cohort provides structured technical assistance and peer-to-peer knowledge sharing to guide local governments through the steps necessary to develop an implementable sustainability plan.
Sustainability Planning & Implementation Cohort
This capacity-building cohort provides structured technical assistance and peer-to-peer knowledge sharing to guide local governments through the steps necessary to develop a sustainability or climate
ICLEI USA People-Centered Resources
[Preview] The Sustainable and Circular Public Procurement Toolkit
Local governments are uniquely positioned to lead the shift toward more sustainable and circular economies—starting with how they purchase goods and services. This Sustainable and
Equity in Climate Planning
This document expands on the Equity: First Steps Guide by sharing trends and best practices for incorporating equity into local climate action planning. This report
Driving Impact for an Equitable & Sustainable Future: ICLEI USA 2022 Annual Report
Letter from Our Executive Director Fully emerging from our Covid cocoons, we managed to network, collaborate, learn from and share aspirations and knowledge at in-person
More Resources
- Learn from The Urban Transitions Alliance, ICLEI’s network of industrial-legacy cities including Buffalo, Pittsburgh, and Cincinnati, in an equity-centered webinar series.
- Join the conversation! The ICLEI Community Climate Equity “neighborhood” is our facilitated discussion group for members to engage with the pathway.
People-Centered Testimonials
"As a coastal community, Hoboken has directly felt the impacts of climate change, including rising sea levels and more frequent storms. At the same time, we’ve invested hundreds of millions of dollars adapting to the realities of climate change, Big Oil companies have engaged in a decades-long campaign of misinformation that has contributed to global warming which has disproportionately impacted our residents. It’s time these companies pay their fair share and be held accountable for their actions."
"Reaching carbon neutrality by 2030 will require strong leadership and dedication, and while it will be hard, Flagstaff can meet this challenge and turn current risks into future opportunities that are accessible to all residents equally. We are indebted to the community members that brought this initiative forward, specifically Flagstaff’s youth, and look forward to working with them to achieve this critical goal."
“[ICLEI’s equity] workshop opened our eyes to how important stakeholder ownership is for achieving engagement in climate resiliency activities within our city government. It helped us address the paralysis caused from the perceived enormity of mitigation actions; we now recognize that the steps we can take will not be as hard as people imagine, and will ultimately save money. Over the next 12 to 18 months, we are planning to use the ICLEI workshop as a catalyst for additional dialogue-inducing workshops.”
