Equitable Green Infrastructure
The benefits provided by green infrastructure represent visible investments in the community, which can change external perceptions of that community, encourage more investment, and increase property values, resulting in a process known as gentrification.
While gentrification can be beneficial to some community members, others can be displaced due to rising rents, loss of employment, or changes in neighborhood character that may make them feel unwelcome, out of place, or unsafe. Learn more.
Municipal investment in green infrastructure has the potential to alleviate vulnerabilities experienced by underserved and overburdened communities. If municipalities and decisionmakers prioritize equity when planning for and implementing green infrastructure, communities can reap many environmental, economic, and social benefits. However, as with all kinds of infrastructure improvement, poorly planned green infrastructure can create or amplify existing equity issues, such as:
- "Green gentrification," when investment made to "revitalize" a neighborhood and increase property value is done without authentic input from existing residents and leads to potential displacement.
- Loss of neighborhood history and cultural legacy.
Encouraging meaningful community engagement and empowerment, making space for community organizations to be leaders and partners, and implementing equitable planning practices can orient green infrastructure projects to best suit community needs, leading to more equitable outcomes and healthy, stable communities. Municipalities should ensure they distribute social, environmental, and economic benefits equally. Ask the following questions when deciding on the scope and locations of green infrastructure investment: Who is benefiting from, impacted by, and paying for the investment?
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Engage and Empower the Community
All people, regardless of race, ethnicity, or economic status, should have the opportunity to enjoy the positive outcomes of environmentally related decisions and actions, such as cleaner air and water, improved health, and economic vitality. No group of people should bear a disproportionate share of the negative environmental consequences resulting from industrial, governmental, or commercial operations and policies.
It is a municipality's responsibility to empower affected parties to advocate for their rights and make informed decisions by providing access to information, resources, and education. Community members have the right to participate in making decisions that could impact their environment and their health. Community participation will increase the likelihood that the project meets high priority community needs, give the community a sense of ownership and pride over the project, and lead to positive green infrastructure investments.
The following engagement best practices support equity in green infrastructure projects:
- Engage the community in every phase of decision-making and implementation, from policymaking and long-term planning to designing and installing specific green infrastructure. Make space for community members to influence project design and planning.
- Emphasize in-person contact and outreach to build trust and relationships.
- Reduce the burden to engage. Have meetings at times and in spaces that work for the community.
- Beyond communicating the specific benefits or amenities that green infrastructure can provide, try to understand what a community knows or does not know about green infrastructure, water quality issues, flooding, and other related topics.
- Consider compensating community members appropriately for their time.
Use Partnerships to Succeed
It is important to develop working relationships with a diverse mix of community organizations. To facilitate comprehensive and equitable community engagement, bring everyone to the table and collaborate as partners instead of treating community organizations as only informed stakeholders. This collaboration can improve public perceptions and support for projects because local organizations are trusted community representatives. In addition, partnerships with community organizations increase the number of informed and involved parties in green infrastructure planning, which helps safeguard the continuity of projects and ideas. Having advocacy organizations as project partners is mutually beneficial: these organizations may advocate for community needs that cannot be solved by green infrastructure but can be met by dual-purpose collaborative projects.
The following are examples of how partnerships can be used to achieve equitable green infrastructure goals:
- EPA Environmental Justice Grants and Communities. Federal agencies and local partners collaborated using funding from the EPA's Office of Environmental Justice to set up local job training in environmental restoration and green infrastructure in Buffalo, New York.
- Washington, D.C. 11th Street Bridge Park project. The D.C. government and local nonprofits have collaborated to create a park on abandoned piers from an old bridge that links the east and west sides of the city over the Anacostia River. The project engaged multiple community equity partners in creating its Equitable Development Plan that focuses on five strategy areas: housing, workforce development, small business enterprise, arts and culture, and health and wellness.
- Richmond 300: A Guide for Growth. This planning document for the city of Richmond, Virginia, is an example of a master plan focused on equity and sustainability that was developed using extensive community engagement.
Learn More
- Urban Waters Learning Network Equitable Development and Anti-Displacement Resources
- Green Infrastructure Leadership Exchange: Equity Guide for Green Infrastructure Practitioners
- Natural Resources Defense Council Green Neighborhoods Initiative (pdf)