Smart Growth America is offering free Technical Assistance (TA) to support at least three community-based organizations across the U.S. to address climate and land use housing topics. SGA can help support community partners to effectively advocate for housing, zoning and planning policies, and infrastructure that are more prepared for the impacts of climate change such as flooding, extreme heat, drought, and wildfires. TA may also address transportation topics as needed, including strategies to advocate for complete streets, transit, and repair of existing infrastructure.
The submission deadline is Wednesday, March 15, 2023. Partner organizations will be selected in March or April 2023.
Background
Climate change presents an urgent, existential threat to communities and disproportionately impacts those who have been marginalized by racist land use, housing, and lending policies. TA work will seek to both drive policy change to better support communities already burdened by climate impacts, as well as guide future development and housing decisions to be more equitable and climate-informed.
Eligibility and Engagement
TA is available to community-based organizations (including 501c3s), faith-based organizations, Tribal Nations, and groups of residents or businesses seeking to advocate for just climate and land use development.
SGA’s team can research local policies and national best practices, draft advocacy strategies, and develop training and outreach materials. SGA will also seek out opportunities for the community partners to connect with each other if that is of interest. At the end of the TA, your community members will be equipped to advocate for policy change at the local level to advance more equitable and climate-informed approaches to housing and development. SGA envisions that the partnerships would last for about one year to facilitate collaborative work and efforts towards building local policy or infrastructure investment milestones.
TA partnerships will run from April – December 2023 with the potential for continued work in early 2024. Partner organizations should be prepared to meet with SGA partners virtually about once a month during the work together and occasionally review materials. Compensation will be offered for partner organizations to support time incurred during the project.
Potential TA Topics
SGA welcomes the opportunity to brainstorm about what support would be most impactful for community partners.
Potential TA topics include:
- Strategies to develop more affordable housing and support small businesses in locations less prone to climate impacts
- Deep dive into climate data – what’s available, what it means, and how to use it to advocate for policy change
- Strategies to plan for and fund green infrastructure and other flood mitigation investments to both address flooding and improve quality of life
- Affordable housing preservation in the face of climate gentrification
If you have any questions or would like to discuss the opportunity further, please contact Jamie Zouras, Program Manager, Land Use and Development at Smart Growth America via email at [email protected].