Planning for Healthy Communities: Putting Environmental Justice into General Plans
By California Environmental Justice Alliance & PlaceWorks Inc.
Imagine a state made up of healthy and thriving communities, where urban and rural neighborhoods have the means to prevent and reduce industrial pollution, provide open space and local organic food, develop affordable housing, preserve local culture, generate good jobs and conduct community-led planning to sustain this vibrant future.
This vision can now be a reality through SB 1000, “The Planning for Healthy Communities Act”, authored by Senator Connie Leyva and co-sponsored by the California Environmental Justice Alliance and the Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice in 2016. Under SB 1000, cities and counties are required to adopt an EJ element, or integrate EJ-related policies, objectives, and goals throughout other elements of its General Plan. The bill also includes a process for communities to become meaningfully involved in the decision-making processes that govern the land use decisions in their neighborhoods.
Addressing Historical Inequities in Planning
Unfortunately, some cities have not prioritized environmental justice or social equity when engaging in land use planning. A history of poor and even discriminatory land use practices have put the majority of polluting industries in the backyards of the most disenfranchised local communities, right next to homes and schools. Some jurisdictions also continue to maintain outdated land use plans that allow low-income communities and communities of color to become the dumping grounds for toxic industrial pollution. As a result, low-income communities and communities of color are more likely to suffer from exposure to toxic chemicals, leading to higher rates of asthma, birth defects and cancers.
However, when one community is made healthy and strong, the region as a whole becomes healthy and strong — and in turn, when one community is neglected, the entire region suffers and falls behind in the race to create a healthier future despite the growing threats of climate change and industrial pollution. Planning for EJ doesn’t just redress past inequitable environmental impacts on disadvantaged communities. A General Plan that focuses on environmental justice and social equity can lead to significant positive health and economic outcomes for the area as a whole. Moreover, these new legislative requirements are consistent with the principles of good planning and the planner’s obligation to promote the wellbeing and inclusion of all people. Finally, taking time to thoroughly address current impacts on “disadvantaged” or “EJ” communities can provide solutions to prevent against future impacts and can save a local jurisdiction from much work later on, especially as new EJ issues arise or as controversial projects are proposed.
Successful Environmental Justice Elements
Before the passage of SB 1000, a handful of local jurisdictions had already adopted successful environmental justice elements and area plans. Two examples of local governments that have trail-blazed this concept of integrating environmental justice into General Plan elements are the cities of National City and Jurupa Valley.
The City of National City’s Health and EJ (HEJ) Element, adopted in 2011, was the first EJ element in the State. The City’s creation of its new Element arose out of local concerns over the city’s long history of poor zoning and land use planning. In National City, one can find autobody and car repair shops located on every other block, despite them being situated next to school zones and residential neighborhoods. Approximately 32,000 pounds of toxic air contaminants are released each year in the city. Not surprisingly, asthma rates remain disproportionately high while available green space and affordable housing has been lacking.
Spurred by both city initiative and local community organizing efforts, National City’s Westside Specific Plan, adopted in 2010, has created improvements in affordable housing, public transportation, safe pedestrian walkways, compatible land uses and increased clean energy. The plan was a springboard for citywide land use planning efforts, including the development of National City’s Health and EJ Element. The City also adopted an amortization ordinance, which grants the City authority to discontinue incompatible land uses in areas with sensitive populations.
Similar to National City, the residents of Mira Loma Village located in Jurupa Valley have been boxed in by tall concrete walls and have been smothered by the pollution of more than 800 diesel trucks passing through the area every hour. Not surprisingly, the Inland Empire has some of the dirtiest air in the nation.
Today, Jurupa Valley residents can breathe a little easier thanks to the creation of their Environmental Justice Element. As part of a legal settlement in 2014, Jurupa Valley became the second city in California to adopt an EJ element in its citywide General Plan. The City has already installed high-performance air-filtration units in homes throughout the area and created vegetative barriers to absorb pollution. In addition, as part of Jurupa Valley’s EJ element, the city is in the process of developing a restrictive truck route to prevent diesel trucks from passing in close proximity to homes. As a result of their equitable and innovative planning practices, the City of Jurupa Valley’s EJ Element was awarded the APA California’s 2015 Award of Merit for Advancing Diversity and Social Change.
A New Toolkit to Map a Path Forward
To support the effective implementation of SB 1000, the California Environmental Justice Alliance (CEJA) collaborated with California-based consulting firm PlaceWorks Inc. to co-write the SB 1000 Implementation Toolkit following the adoption of the bill. The Toolkit showcases a wide range of best practices, methods, strategies and policies for implementing SB 1000 that can be adapted to meet the needs of each unique community within California’s diverse geography. This includes multiple methods for identifying disadvantaged communities using the most current tools, and important strategies that allow jurisdictions to meet the requirements of the law. The Toolkit also offers principles and methods for facilitating successful community engagement plans, case studies that highlight model EJ planning practices in California, and potential funding sources to support SB 1000 implementation.
Local jurisdictions will be required to comply with SB 1000 starting on January 1, 2018 upon a jurisdiction’s decision to update two or more elements of its General Plan. However, given the various benefits of incorporating environmental justice into General Plans, jurisdictions are also welcome and encouraged to voluntarily adopt an EJ element or integrated policies at any time.
Integrating environmental justice into General Plans allows local governments to make the best decisions that benefit their most vulnerable residents. It can also assist jurisdictions by addressing the intersectionality of multiple issues, demands and concerns, including, but not limited to: the need for housing, existing development and development patterns, environmental requirements, and more. SB 1000 can also promote important investments in disadvantaged communities, such as air filters, green buffer zones, improved water filtration systems and improved multi-modal transportation systems and networks.
Improving land use is central to creating healthy and prosperous neighborhoods. The SB 1000 Implementation Toolkit will ensure that local governments and and community residents can work together to proactively plan for and address environmental justice concerns at the outset when developing the long-term goals, policies, and visions to guide the future growth of their cities. Our hope is that this resource will provide useful strategies to prevent the unhealthy mix of industry, homes, and residents, and promote policies that improve the health and well-being of our state’s most vulnerable communities.
For more information on the SB 1000 Toolkit, please see visit www.caleja.org/sb1000-toolkit
