Design
professionals know that buildings, cities, and infrastructure are central to
the challenge of climate change. Most embrace the need to dramatically improve
performance to support the shared goals for climate protection. Joel Ann Todd,
Christopher R. Pyke and Susan Kaplan (who are working on USGBC's All In: Building Equity Together) reflect on the B&C special
issue CLIMATE JUSTICE: THE ROLE OF THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT. Acting on social equity issues is a vital
professional responsibility – especially to protect those made vulnerable or
disadvantaged by climate change.
Many authors have explored connections between climate protection, climate justice, inequality, and related issues (Baborska-Narozny et al. 2020; Klinsky and Mavrogianni, 2020). This has included consideration of new responsibilities for design professionals as well as the linkages between climate change and inequity (Janda and Parag, 2013). These authors underscore the urgency for action. We believe that these concepts would be more impactful with a broader view of climate justice, one that expanded to the root causes of inequity. Approaching climate justice with a broader perspective of social inequity and injustice allows practitioners to address the vulnerabilities of people to climate change that are caused or exacerbated by disparities in income, health status and access to care, education, housing security, food security, and other factors. While not all of these inequities are within the scope of every building project, practitioners have a responsibility to look beyond a narrow focus for opportunities to strengthen and build more resilient communities and individuals (Mondaine and Lee, 2020).
The design professions have been slow to recognize the built environment’s impacts on vulnerable people. The meaning of professionalism entails obligations to civil society: to simultaneously promote social equity/environmental justice and climate protection. A moral and, in turn, professional responsibility exists to prevent, mitigate, and repair unjust, inequitable systems, structures, and practices for the poor, elderly, disabled and other disenfranchised and vulnerable populations (Klinsky and Mavrogianni, 2020).
Social equity and environmental justice are not inevitable, co-benefits of climate action. They require deliberate and sustained action.
The Buildings & Cities special issue Climate Justice: The Role of the Built Environment provides a sound basis for these responsibilities and actions that arise from them. It raises the questions of how practitioners can and should act to promote equity while addressing the climate challenge.
We argue for a broad and holistic view of climate justice and equity. Admittedly, it is difficult to provide a single, general purpose definition of equity. However, for our purposes, a simple, practical definition is that equity is: ‘Just and fair inclusion into a society in which all can participate, prosper, and reach their full potential. Unlocking the promise of the nation by unleashing the promise in us all.’ (PolicyLink) The inequities and disparities that can lead to greater vulnerability to climate change should all be considered, including race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, differing abilities, age, health status, income, and other factors that can affect ‘just and fair inclusion’ and ability to ‘participate and prosper’.
Built environment professionals are
involved in planning, design, specification, construction, operation,
maintenance and refurbishment of places – spaces, buildings, communities and
cities. They have unique access and impact on policy, regulation, zoning,
design, construction, programming and operations (Janda and Parag, 2013). This
privileged position affords the possibility to create better places not only
for the environment, but for all people.
To create appropriate conditions for climate justice, professionals must:
A major factor that may discourage practitioners is the scope and breadth of ‘social justice and equity.’ In our work over the past decade, primarily with the US Green Building Council, we have found that ‘social justice and equity’ becomes more approachable when this question is posed: “justice and equity for whom?” In turn, practitioners can consider how the needs of these groups can be addressed within their capabilities and sphere of influence. This provides a practical approach to identifying opportunities for action:
Promoting equity has been difficult for several reasons: equity can be difficult to define, strategies for specific projects can be difficult to identify, relevant management systems don’t yet exist, and measurement is difficult and usually absent.
There are solutions to all of these challenges. We recommend:
This approach can form the basis for a systematic, iterative process to promote social equity and environmental justice. This can enable professionals to address new issues in collaboration with new partners and stakeholders.
Our recommendations for action add to calls and models of action by authors in the B&C special issue ‘Climate Justice: The Role of the Built Environment’. They align with respect to the urgency for action, the opportunity for positive impact, and, ultimately, a moral imperative for professionals to use their skills and privileged positions to address inequitable impacts and benefits of their work. In other words, we recognize the need. We have the means to act, and, as professionals, we have a duty to act. As we have described here, this begins with an explicit effort to build skill and awareness. This is followed by a systematic process of prioritization, execution, and evaluation -- similar to the processes we use for many design and engineering issues.
Baborska-Narozny, M., Szulgowska-Zgrzywa, M., Mokrzecka, M., Chmielewska, A., Fidorow-Kaprawy, N., Stefanowicz, E., Piechurski, K. & Laska, M. (2020). Climate justice: air quality and transitions from solid fuel heating. Buildings and Cities, 1(1), 120–140. DOI: http://doi.org/10.5334/bc.23
Janda, K. and Parag, Y. (2013). A middle-out approach for improving energy performance in buildings. Building Research & Information, 41(1), 39-50.
Klinsky, S., & Mavrogianni, A. (2020). Climate justice and the built environment. Buildings and Cities, 1(1), 412–428. DOI: http://doi.org/10.5334/bc.65
Mondaine, E. D. and Lee, M. (2020). Beyond theory: climate justice in practice. [commentary] Buildings and Cities. http://bit.ly/3pe6Hhr
PolicyLink (2018). Equity Manifesto. https://www.policylink.org/sites/default/files/pl_sum15_manifesto_FINAL_2018.pdfShare:
Email
Climate action at the neighbourhood scale: Comparing municipal future scenarios
Y Lu, C Girling, N Martino, J Kim, R Kellett & J Salter
Transformational climate actions by cities [editorial]
K R Slater & J B Robinson
Heat stress: adaptation measures in South African informal settlements
J M Hugo
The urban expansion of Berlin, 1862–1900: Hobrecht’s Plan
F Bentlin
Common sources of occupant dissatisfaction with workspace environments in 600 office buildings
T Parkinson, S Schiavon, J Kim & G Betti
Latest Commentaries
Collapse and Catastrophe: The Need to Protect Inhabitants
In light of the recent earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, David Oswald and Trivess Moore (RMIT University) reflect on the rights that inhabitants have for buildings to be safe, healthy, comfortable and robust. However, serial and various failings in the construction supply side and its oversight by governments mean greater accountability is needed.
Blind Spots in Energy Policy
As a policy practitioner who leads a national organisation representing households and small businesses in shaping the future of Australia’s energy system, Lynne Gallagher (Energy Consumers Australia) responds to the Buildings & Cities special issue, Energy, Emerging Technologies and Gender in Homes. Insights from lived experience reveal blind spots in the design, provision and use of smart tech that adversely affect energy outcomes.