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Over the course of summer 2021 The Pacific Northwest was hit with scorching heat waves that claimed the lives of hundreds. Although these record-breaking temperatures seemed extraordinary, these dangerous weather conditions have been hitting the U.S. since decades. A similar crisis occurred in Chicago 25 years ago when more than 700 people were killed by a heatwave. Most of the victims of both climate disasters were elderly, low income, and from underrepresented groups. A lot of them lived in areas that trap heat and drive up temperature, thanks to public planning policies.
Experts in the fields urban planning and public policies are now pointing out the ways that historical practices, such as redlining and racial zoning, have made certain communities more vulnerable to climate changes. Public policy and planning schools are also reimagining how they teach to address climate justice issues and provide education that focuses on the needs of vulnerable communities.
Highlighting the Need Climate Action
Professionals in these fields know that there are many connections between urban planning and public policy. A 2020 study in the journal however, shows that they are not surprising. ClimateThese links were deemed undeniable. In 100 U.S. cities, 94% of residents saw higher temperatures in areas that were previously redlined than those that weren’t.
“Policy that segregated communities decades ago has a long shadow and can really affect how communities are experiencing climate change today,” says Vivek Shandas, PhD, co-author of the study and a professor of climate adaptation in Portland State University’s (PSU) College of Urban and Public Affairs.
Urban planning, although it is considered a separate discipline, shares a lot with public policy. Many planning programs require students have a solid understanding of public affairs with a special focus on transportation, housing, and environmental policy. Many universities and colleges house their planning programs in their public policy schools. Some even offer dual degrees in these fields.
“Planners recognize that climate emergencies cannot be considered as distinct from other challenges related to housing insecurity and/or lack of access to transportation,” Laxmi Ramasubramanian, PhD, professor and chair of San Jose State University’s Urban and Regional Planning Department and president of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP), wrote in a recent email to INSIGHT. “Thus, taking on a justice perspective allows planners to show the inter-connectedness of risk and vulnerability and the need to offer strategies and policies that can actually work.”
ACSP, a group of more than 100 university programs and departments offering urban planning and related degrees has recently updated its accreditation standards to highlight the urgent need for climate action. The new language stresses the importance of environmental protection in planning education. It includes a stronger focus on teaching climate injustices and devising strategies for remedying them.
The universities can also play a significant role in climate justice by researching the best strategies. Shandas, the founder of the Sustaining Urban Places Research (SUPR) Lab 2010 to Study The effectiveness of many solutions. One example is the Canopy Continuum This project examined the effects of urban canopy coverage on maternal health. The lab members looked at the public’s perceptions of urban forestry to determine what residents want in terms of tree maintenance and conservation efforts.
“With the support of census and remote sensing data, we were able to compare the current percentage of tree canopy and demographic data with the public interactions and expectations with urban forestry ownership, such as satisfaction with the quality of trees, quantity of trees, and ecological values,” says Lorena Alves Carvalho Nascimento, who participated in the project as part of her doctoral program at PSU.
This type of research can help you to: Shandas and his colleagues from the SUPR lab were able to make policy recommendations that can be implemented by city, state, or federal governments.
Shandas believes that students find it rewarding to be involved in this type of policy and research work. It gives them firsthand experience with possible climate action solutions that can be used later in their careers.
Students gain valuable insight into the cultural differences that affect whether individuals have access to resources and support during extreme climate events by collecting feedback from these communities. For example, undocumented people may not feel comfortable visiting a government-sponsored cooling centre during a heatwave. Shandas states that policymakers must consider these factors in order to make a real difference for vulnerable communities.
Shandas hopes that climate science, public policy and planning research will continue to come together, and Shandas hopes to see a climate movement grow across disciplines. Shandas also said that planning schools and public policy can help by considering the types of research, policy evaluations and curriculum designs that are needed to better position communities to withstand extreme weather events.
“Climate change is this existential thing, and it is often really hard to identify what’s a solution that would move forward and advance the conversation,” he says. “We’re having to rethink a lot of the way we do our planning, and that takes time, that takes resources, and that takes real creativity.”●
Lisa O’Malley is the assistant editor of INSIGHT Into Diversity.
This article was published by our March 2022 issue.
