12/12/13 7:27 PM Students tackle climate change in neighboring Richmond

Page 1 of 3 http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/11/18/students-tackle-climate-change-in-neighboring-richmond/
The Bay Tiail winus thiough this housing uevelopment neai the Richmonu
maiina. (0C Beikeley Public Affaiis photos)
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Students tackle climate change in neighboring Richmond
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BERKELEY
Resiuents of Richmonu, Calif., on the noitheastein euge of San Fiancisco Bay, expect climate change to piesent
theii city with majoi challenges -- fiom iising sea levels to highei tempeiatuies, floou iisks anu incieaseu
eneigy anu watei consumption -- in coming yeais. Foi help meeting these challenges, the city is tuining to
planning stuuents at 0C Beikeley.
}ason Coibuin, an associate piofessoi with
the Bepaitment of City anu Regional
Planning, in the College of Enviionmental
Besign, anu at the School of Public Bealth,
is leauing the campus effoit, which
expanus on the Richmonu Bealth Equity
Paitneiship, a city initiative to impiove the
health of Richmonu iesiuents.
"We have moie than Su stuuents, uiviueu
into five teams, woiking collaboiatively
with community-baseu oiganizations anu
the city to analyze local gieenhouse gas
emissions anu uevelop mitigation anu
auaptation stiategies," says Coibuin. "We
aie especially focuseu on Richmonu's
vulneiable, low-income communities,
which make up a majoiity of the city's
population."
The goal, he says, is piimaiily to help
Richmonu uevelop a Climate Action Plan to mitigate oi auapt to climate change in a mannei that faiily
uistiibutes climate auaptation anu mitigation iesponsibilities acioss all segments of the community.
12/12/13 7:27 PM Students tackle climate change in neighboring Richmond
Page 2 of 3 http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/11/18/students-tackle-climate-change-in-neighboring-richmond/
This muial in uowntown Richmonu uepicts a veiuant playgiounu.
Theie is anothei goal, too: "We'ie teaching oui stuuents to be in the woilu, not just of it," says Coibuin, auuing
that the woilu's evei-giowing cities aie making city planning "the issue of the 21st centuiy."
Richmonu City Nanagei Bill Linusay is
thiilleu about the collaboiation. "This
symbiotic ielationship will pioviue
Piofessoi Coibuin's stuuents hanus-on
expeiience woiking in public policy, while
Richmonu accesses the leauing minus of
one of the nation's piemiei acauemic
institutions," he saiu in a iecent city
announcement about the pioject.
Stuuents fiom Coibuin's "Enviionmental
Policy anu Regulation" class will foimally
move into action on Weunesuay (Nov. 2u,
6 to 7:Su p.m. at the Richmonu City Ball
Council Chambeis, 44u Civic Centei Plaza),
with intiouuctions by Richmonu city staff
to community iesiuents anu leaueis. The
stuuents will outline the key aieas they will
be exploiing -- tianspoitation anu neighboihoou health patteins, city waste anu watei usage, floouing
piojections anu potential eneigy conseivation measuies -- anu stait collecting citizen input.
In late Becembei, the stuuents will piesent uiaft iecommenuations to city officials, anu will help iefine the plan
befoie Richmonu finalizes it in 2u14.
"What I ieally enjoy about the class is that it allows me to biing togethei my inteiests in a vaiiety of often-
sepaiateu fielus, fiom community uevelopment anu lanu use to health equity," saiu Stefani Cox, a seconu-yeai
giauuate stuuent in city planning. "I hope that the ieseaich we aie gatheiing will help the city of Richmonu
uevelop a compiehensive climate action plan, as well as useful community engagement stiategies foi the
piocess."
A state manuate iequiies cities to ieuuce gieenhouse gas emissions to 199u levels by the yeai 2u2u. In 2uu9,
Richmonu completeu its fiist-evei inventoiy of gieenhouse gas emissions. In 2u1u, 0C Beikeley's uoluman
School of Public Policy offeieu the city iecommenuations foi ueveloping its Climate Action Plan. Now, City
Nanagei Linusay is asking Coibuin anu his stuuents foi a hanu.
Enviionmental piotection is not a new issue foi Richmonu, which is home to heavy inuustiy anu a busy shipping
poit, anu ciissciosseu by fieeways anu iailioau tiacks. Touay, the city is ueveloping a ieputation foi
enviionmental leaueiship. It has a uieen Paity mayoi anu became one of the fiist cities in the countiy to incluue
an eneigy anu climate change element in the Richmonu ueneial Plan, pioviuing baseline gieenhouse gas
emission levels by which to measuie its piogiess. Likewise, it was one of the fiist cities in the 0niteu States to
auopt a health anu wellness element in its geneial plan to examine social, economic, physical anu enviionmental
links to health inequalities anu pooi health.
Coibuin, authoi of the book >)%(&'" ?/&" @(%**/*AB C816 4)/A'718'11. &1 4%&/1*%( >)%(&' DEF/&" (2u1S), has
piomoteu this type of collaboiation in many locations in auuition to Richmonu - fiom the Nathie slum in
Naiiobi to favelas in Biazil to Biooklyn's low-income uieenpointWilliamsbuig neighboihoou. Be says the
campus piojects in Richmonu have geneiateu attention fiom cities acioss the countiy anu aiounu the woilu.
12/12/13 7:27 PM Students tackle climate change in neighboring Richmond
Page 3 of 3 http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/11/18/students-tackle-climate-change-in-neighboring-richmond/
Resiuents live close to heavy inuustiy in a numbei of Richmonu neighboihoous.
Be notes the global climate-change
negotiations that enueu last week in
Polanu, geneiating heaulines about how to
ueal with the unequal impacts anu buiuens
on uiffeient populations. "This is in effect
what we aie woiking on in Richmonu -
exploiing stiategies to piomote climate
justice" Coibuin says.
RELATEB INF0RNATI0N
Watch }ason Coibuin talk about
ueveloping tiusting ielationships with
communities, in this viueo posteu to
YouTube.
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