Equity beyond site selection

The equity-centered site selection delivered within the tool only addresses one of many aspects of equitable Green Infrastructure projects. Based on our literature review and focus groups, the Project Team makes the following high-level recommendations for approaching equity in other parts of the lifecycle of a GI Project:

Community-centered design and project development

While the Equitable Green Infrastructure Site Assessment Tool identifies potentially suitable locations for green infrastructure projects, the tool does not offer design guidance for what types of projects would be best suited for that location. For the next phase of the tool improvements, the Project Team recommends that the perspectives and voices of community members are centered and uplifted in the process of site design and development. Projects should prioritize design choices that maximize co-benefits in vulnerable communities and reflect community priorities. Meaningful community engagement is a key aspect of ensuring that green infrastructure projects are most beneficial, most desired, and well-understood by the surrounding community.

Address maintenance limitations by developing workforce development and training programs

In focus groups with municipal partners, a common challenge frequently identified was the maintenance (capacity and level of effort) of green infrastructure. Participants discussed a lack of staff and budget capacity for the time and training to install and upkeep green infrastructure projects. In particular, networks of small-scale green infrastructure sites were discussed as being particularly difficult to maintain with existing resources. Instead, participants communicated that from a maintenance perspective, it is often more cost effective to choose BMPs that don’t have a “green” or above-ground component beyond grass, which is already part of maintenance practices. Due to these barriers, non-green infrastructure LID is a more common approach.

This presents a challenge to equity goals discussed in this project because if maintenance is a barrier to implementing wide-scale green infrastructure, then towns are missing out on the many community and environmental benefits that these projects have to offer, especially in communities that are already more vulnerable to climate change impacts.

When these findings were presented to watershed groups, they were interested in the idea of training opportunities and green jobs programs that support DPW teams. The Equity Guide details best practices and strategies for implementing workforce development programs which aim to build wealth in disadvantaged communities and support a new green workforce that uplifts local community members. It is also suggested that programs to train and incentivize local stewards to care for green infrastructure sites within their neighborhoods build capacity and investment

Support towns to bridge the gap between green infrastructure and equity goals in town and on-the-ground projects

Early on in meetings with municipal staff, it became clear as a challenge that there is often limitation in opportunities to collaborate among planners, conservation agents, and their peers in engineering and public works departments. Bridging this gap is important; oftentimes, town plans highlight a community-wide desire for green infrastructure and its potential for multi-beneficial outcomes, but those goals, for understandable reasons (see discussion of maintenance challenges above) are often less of a priority for the public works and engineering staff who are charged with implementing projects on-the-ground with limited resources. This disconnect may require the investment in internal plans for adopting shared goals related to equity outcomes.

Work closely with communities to proactively address potential unintended consequences of green infrastructure installations

While many of these recommendations focus on ensuring benefits of Green Infrastructure are optimized towards those who most need them, an equally important equity consideration is to prevent unintended consequences of green investments. In The Equity Guide for Green Infrastructure, the authors describe the following:

Low income communities and communities of color deserve to benefit from green infrastructure without fear of being displaced by its installation or resulting property value increases. It is important to recognize that this is an emerging field and GI is one of many factors that can contribute to displacement. The levels of (and contributors to) displacement risk and perceived displacement risk vary widely between communities. For these reasons and more, consultation with experts and community stakeholders is highly recommended.

Building on the common best practices in community-centered design, the guide suggests working closely with community organizations to engage in dialogue about how to mitigate risks of displacement.