Environmental Justice
What is Environmental Justice?
Definitions & Project Scope
Senate Bill 1000, also known as the Planning for Healthy
Communities Act, was signed into law in 2016 and requires the
development and adoption of an Environmental Justice Element or
the integration of Environmental Justice policies into a city’s
General Plan upon the update of two other General Plan
Elements.
Why We’re Planning for Environmental Justice
Root Causes and Senate Bill 1000
Environmental Justice is the field of work which revolves around addressing injustice in the built environment, namely in cities. Over every city’s history there have been myriad factors which shape each environment and the populations who live there. The image below explains in part how historical factors can influence the present-day conditions residents experience and the impacts they have on our lives while also introducing potential pathways to resolving these inequities.
The Process
How the City of Chico is Planning for Environmental Justice
The City of Chico’s process for approaching the implementation of the requirements of Senate Bill 1000 is best broken down into three phases.