Local governments can score sustainability points several ways

Cities and counties can achieve some fast sustainability wins in the short term, says Mikayla Hoskins, an associate on the cities team at Buro Happold, a multidisciplinary engineering consultancy and a global practice of consulting engineers and advisers. The firm offers its clients expertise in structural engineering, sustainability, lighting design, mobility and other areas.

She says the simplest quick wins are related to staffing and governance. “Cities and counties should create a sustainability/climate office, or dedicated position. They should identify internal champions to spearhead efforts and create a network of leaders. This brain trust will continue to drive progress forward and can identify a list of priority projects for focus and implementation.”

She adds that those governments can work to lower the barrier to entry for sustainability projects like rooftop solar or EV chargers. She urges administrators to consider programs like SolSmart. “These kinds of initiatives provide technical assistance to review policies for unnecessary steps or complications in order to ease the transition to renewable power.”

Hoskins adds that the earlier cities and counties can begin to budget for sustainability and climate work, the better. Even if administrators start small, it is important to ensure sustainability is a budgetary priority for governments. “To this point too, cities and counties should look to strengthen their partnership network from universities to philanthropic groups who can help to connect local governments to additional resources, programs and funding.”

Hoskins observes that more and more cities getting tougher on climate change. She notes that cities are codifying emission reductions and energy standards across their building stocks. “New York City has passed Local Law 97, setting a carbon emissions limit for buildings. Berkeley, Calif., has banned natural gas hookups in new buildings, and other cities like San Francisco and Boston have followed with their own bespoke policies to push action.”

She notes that financial attention is being shifted to sustainability and climate topics. “National funding will be available soon through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to unlock climate-friendly, sustainable infrastructure projects across the country.” She sees that green banks, philanthropies and other organizations are creating platforms for sustainability-focused work and implementation. “My hope is that in the near future, the question of ‘How do we pay for this’ no longer needs to be asked about desperately required sustainability work.”

Hoskins urges local government officials to set clear and focused objectives when they establish sustainability targets in their communities. “A well-structured sustainability plan or roadmap will provide the foundational resources and tools to implement effective action. But most importantly, cities and counties need to work together and break down siloes, internally and externally.” She adds that sustainability initiatives require collective action and participation from all stakeholders.

Here is one method for easing the load on individual governments, Hoskins explains: “It is to take a regional approach to sustainability and climate action. By banding together at a larger scale, local governments can achieve economies of scale and empower smaller cities with the resources to develop their own pathways and plans, nested within a regional effort.”

Equitable and just actions are at the forefront of conversations these days, Hoskins believes. “It is understood that governments must act to repair and reverse the poor policies of our past and build a new, equitable future where all can thrive and continue to build strong partnerships with communities, founded in trust.” She notes that the impacts of climate change are hard to ignore these days. “Governments are similarly feeling the pressure to deliver on climate resilience. This has become as central to sustainability work as greenhouse-gas (GHG) emission reduction in cities.”

As a professional engineer in the state of New York, Hoskins has experience in building system energy efficiency. She has spent years conducting energy audits and retro-commissioning work for residential and commercial clients in New York City.

Several of Buro Happold’s client communities have won awards for sustainability initiatives. These include:

• Kansas City Regional Climate Action Plan—2022 American Planning Association (APA) Award of Excellence in Sustainability, Municipal, State or Regional Plan
• Climate Action Plan for the Chicago Metropolitan Region—2022 APA Award of Excellence in Sustainability, Merit Award, Municipal, State or Regional Plan

Hoskins is convinced that cooperative purchasing agreements can help cities and counties achieve their sustainability goals. “These agreements should definitely be seen as one of the tools in the sustainability toolbox. Cooperative purchasing can save governments time, money and effort, and even enable the selection of solutions with greater impact than they could achieve solely.”

She adds that cooperative deals can help leverage collective buying power across a city or county. “They can be beneficial to implementing sustainable actions with the help of economies of scale. Establishing these agreements can also speed up the procurement process for local governments.”

Michael Keating is senior editor for American City & County. Contact him at [email protected].