April 2019


 GHG Reduction


Anchorage Seeks Public Input on Draft Climate Action Plan: Anchorage released its draft Climate Action Plan for public comment that includes strategies to meet their GHG emissions reduction goals of 40% by 2030 and 80% by 2050.

Bloomington Reports on Progress Towards Sustainability Goals: Bloomington published its first Annual Sustainability Progress Report highlighting accomplishments from 2018 in building and renewable energy, transportation, water, waste reduction, local food and agriculture, and ecosystem health.

Fayetteville Breaks Ground on Solar+Storage Project: Fayetteville and its partners broke ground on a 10 MW solar project with battery storage that will power more than half its municipal operations and save approximately $6 million over 20 years.

Santa Monica Releases Draft Climate Action and Adaptation Plan for Public Comment: Santa Monica is seeking public comment on their draft Climate Action and Adaptation Plan, which establishes an interim goal of reducing emissions 80% by 2030 and a framework to meet climate action and adaptation goals.

Sunnyvale Updates Climate Action Strategies: Sunnyvale released its draft Climate Action Playbook, an update to their Climate Action Plan that includes identification of climate action opportunities, targets, and specific actions, for public comment.

Canadian Urban Sustainability Practitioners' (CUSP) Network Cities Awarded $183 Million of Federal Funding for Low Carbon Cities Canada (LC3): Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, and Halifax were awarded $183 million CAD to establish and endow low-carbon innovation centers with community partners and an additional $167M in the federal budget will support the scaling of demonstration projects de-risked in these LC3 centers. A CUSP-led workshop of municipalities and partners from these cities, funded through a USDN Peer Learning Exchange grant, was foundational to the proposal's development.


Climate Resilience


Miami to Conduct Climate-Related Gentrification Study: Miami will be analyzing rates of property turnover, changes to land values, and other factors to better understand if high-lying neighborhoods are experiencing climate-related gentrification or higher development pressure due to reduced flooding risk.   


Social Equity


Savannah Launches Homegrown Green Infrastructure Initiative: With support from the Southeastern Sustainable Communities Fund, Savannah launched a new initiative that combines job training and landscape certification for low-income job-seekers with the creation of new urban tree nurseries for the city.
 
Seattle to Expand Low-Income Bus Program: Seattle is planning to expand its low-income bus program to include Seattle Housing Authority residents who are living in high-density housing near transit hubs or along certain transit routes.

Urban Sustainability


Photo Credit:

Austin Strategic Mobility Plan

Austin Releases Draft Strategic Mobility Plan for Public Comment: Austin is seeking comments on its draft Strategic Mobility Plan that outlines actions to reduce single-occupancy vehicle use, including reducing the number of commuters who drive alone to work to 50% by 2039.

Boston Launches Environmental, Social, Governance Investment Initiative: Boston will join the Ceres Investor Network and invest $150 million of its operating funds in companies that have strong environmental, social, and governance practices.

Denver's City Departments Achieve Environmental Management System (EMS) Recertification: All of Denver's municipal departments received EMS recertification, an international standard for environmental performance management, for the ninth year in a row and is the only city in the United States to do so.

USDN Members Recognized in 2019 Grist 50! List: Jeanalee Obergfell, City Planning Associate at the City of Los Angeles, and John R. Seydel, Director of Sustainability at the City of Atlanta, are among the 2019 Grist 50!, a list that recognizes people who are leading bold and innovative solutions to address global challenges.

USDN/CNCA Members in Apolitical's Climate 100: San Francisco's Director of the Department of the Environment, Debbie Raphael, and Copenhagen's Executive Climate Project Director, Jørgen Abildgaard, were selected in Apolitical's Climate 100 honoring the world's most influential people in climate policy.