Planning and Climate Change: Mitigation and Clean Energy Strategies

Energy and climate change issues are consuming the nation's attention. State and local governments across the country seek to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and replace fossil fuels with clean energy. As of February 2008, nearly 800 mayors have pledged to "meet or beat" the Kyoto Protocol greenhouse gas emission reduction target for the United States. To meet their goals, cities and regions are adopting a wide array of strategies, such as "greening" municipal operations and construction standards, and conducting public education and outreach programs to change individual behavior. But an important part of these strategies has yet to be fully recognized — planning for "energy smart" smart growth.

The American Planning Association (APA) and the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) have embarked on a three-year research and education project, Planning and Climate Change: Mitigation and Clean Energy Strategies, (previously Planning our Way to a New Energy Future) promoting integration of climate change and energy sustainability issues into local planning practices. While most planners recognize these issues are connected to planning, they are still working to translate this into "on the ground" actions and regulations. Planning can help communities determine where to start, how to evaluate what they've done, or how to take it to the next level. 

Goals and Approach
The goals of this project are to encourage understanding of planning issues related to clean energy and climate change mitigation from local to federal levels, as well as integrate them into planning actions. Pursuing these goals will help communities address the serious challenges of climate change, support reliable and clean energy sources, improve public health, save tax dollars, and boost their local economies. To accomplish them, we are conducting research, publishing, and education initiatives and building collaborations among community leaders, planners, and energy professionals to better integrate climate change mitigation and energy sustainability into planning practice.  

Objectives

• To bring planners and energy/climate change advocates and experts together via dialogue and collaboration.
• To improve planners' understanding of how energy and climate change are related to planning activities and how planning decisions impact community planning choices.
• To help planners include energy and climate change considerations in their everyday work.
• To encourage planners to become advocates for energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies, to assist communities and regions in meeting greenhouse gas reduction goals.

Activities

Needs Assessment: Assess planners' capacity, knowledge, and educational needs on energy and climate issues.

Partner Dialogue: Organize national symposia with representatives of planning, smart growth, community development, climate, energy, housing, and transportation to break down barriers and build partnerships.

Best Practices: Identify, document, and disseminate examples of communities successfully integrating energy sustainability and climate change into plans, management tools, plan implementation, public investment, policies, and built projects.

State and Federal Policy: Educate state and federal policy makers to ensure that programs, policies, legislation, and regulations support and enhance energy and climate change planning efforts at the local and regional levels; write a policy briefing document for state and local officials.

Publications: Develop a best practices manual and website on integrating energy and climate change mitigation into community planning; prepare articles for publication.

Training, Technical Assistance and Outreach: Develop and conduct workshops; provide technical assistance to communities; conduct conference sessions; establish two mini-pilot programs for more extensive assistance and support.

For more information
E-mail energy@planning.org