Missing the Housing for the Trees: Equity in Urban Climate Planning

Abstract

This paper examines equity’s incorporation into Climate Action Plans (CAPs), an increasingly important part of the urban sustainability planning landscape. We conduct a content analysis of 170 California CAPs and compare the plans’ treatment of equity to city characteristics such as size and income inequality. We find that equity language correlates with an increased presence of more systemic policy interventions, such as dense and/or affordable housing, in CAPs. However, the majority of CAPs “miss the housing for the trees,” with green policy agendas, such as trees and open space, remaining more dominant. We also find little association between local inequalities and how CAPs incorporate equity goals.