An element of the Sustainable Northampton Plan
This plan is both a commitment and a road-map. It signifies our dedication to mitigating climate change and the actions we need to build an increasingly resilient and regenerative future. It is a plan for simultaneously reducing our greenhouse gas emissions, building our capacity to adapt to stresses, and improving our healthy ecosystems, inclusive communities, and ensuring all Northampton residents can thrive.
Northampton started to track its progress using the US Green Building Council (USGBC) rating system LEED for Cities and Communities, which replaced the former STAR Communities program. LEED for Cities is a third party rating system designed to help communities compare themselves to a norm and to peer communities and promote honest reporting and minimize greenwashing.
The Resilience and Regeneration strategies are broken down by the categories defined in the rating system to help us track how our actions help us make progress towards the LEED for Cities and Communities goals.
Northampton’s Framework for Climate Resilience and Regeneration Planning. In developing strategies that will help us reach our regeneration and resilience goals, we also look for opportunities to increase economic and cultural vitality, equity, and regional collaboration.
Nature as Model
Employing natural systems to use water wisely, enhance soil health, draw carbon out of the atmosphere, maintain comfortable air temperatures, and improve air quality.
Respect Resource Limits
Using resources responsibly by reducing our consumption, mitigating greenhouse gas emissions, and material reuse, re-purposing, and upcycling.
Stewardship
Taking care of our planet through preserving healthy habitats, managing non-native species and disease vectors, and improving environmental education.
Adaptive Capacity
Increasing the capacity of systems to better withstand climate hazards, systematically learning and adapting standards and practices to better respond.
Strong & Healthy Communities
Building a sense of community through social networks or social cohesion, reducing the vulnerability of Frontline Communities (e.g., homeless, low income, populations of color, new Americans), and increasing community health and safety in culturally sensitive ways.
Climate-Smart Action
Developing the city’s and community’s ability to make decisions that better prepare us for climate change through education, use of climate projections, and collaboration across city departments.
Conscious Economic Exchange
Creating stronger local economies by increasing the number of jobs that pay a living wage, sourcing materials and labor locally, and supporting an inclusive economy.
Forward-Looking Economy
Preparing our economy for the future by strengthening job-related skills training, diversifying the economy and supporting entrepreneurial activity, and encouraging diverse workforces.
Creative and Cultural Value
Supporting the creative economy, local agriculture, and other industries with local cultural significance in Northampton.
Distributional Equity
Reducing disparities in access to resources as well as educational and economic opportunity, and mitigating exposure to hazards for those who face disproportionate harm.
Procedural Equity
Including diverse and non-traditional stakeholders in decision-making and in the measurement of project success, and ensuring transparency in the development of programs or projects.
Structural Equity
Actively recognizing and working to change structural forces of inequity, including developing pathways for more diverse and representative leadership and addressing institutional racism.
Intergenerational Equity
Addressing the needs of those not yet involved in or empowered to participate in the decision making process, or even alive today.
Collaborative Learning
Creating platforms for sharing insight or information between communities, and developing tools, processes, or frameworks that allow communities to replicate success.
Interdependence
Working with neighboring communities to share resources and take advantage of economies of scale, or creating complimentary or aligned approaches.
Nested Systems
Considering the way local systems affect regional systems and vice versa by working at a watershed or ecosystem scale and by making local changes that impact regional systems.