ProGov21 Policy Library

More Jobs, Less Pollution: Growing the Recycling Economy in the U.S.

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2011

Level City or Town

State(s) All States

Source Tellus Institute

Policy Areas Community Development, Public Spaces, Environment & Natural Resources, Economic Justice

This report evaluates the positive impacts of implementing a bold national recycling and composting strategy across federal, state, and local governments. Its recommendations of energy, resource, and waste management would allow for significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions,...

How Green Banks Help Cities Transition to Clean Energy

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2019

Level City or Town, County

State(s) All States

Source Meeting Of The Minds

Policy Areas Energy

In the face of climate change crisis, it is urgent for policymakers at state, local, and city level to make transition to clean and renewable energy. However, the construction of renewable projects is usually capital-intensive and requires bank’s upfront investment. Green banks help...

Invest in Water Infrastructure

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2021

Level City or Town, National

State(s) All States

Source National League Of Cities

Policy Areas Environment & Natural Resources

Local governments provide over 95% of the total funding for U.S. water infrastructure. To meet the nation’s growing water infrastructure needs, address the impacts of climate change on water quality and availability, and to ensure equity and affordability for low- and fixed-income...

The Road to Shared Prosperity: The Regional Economic Benefits for the San Pedro Bay Ports' Clean Trucks Program

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2007

Level City or Town

State(s) California

Source Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy

Policy Areas Environment & Natural Resources, Transportation & Mobility

This brief presents the benefits of a Clean Trucks Program (CTP) for the San Pedro Bay port area. High-volume port trucking in this region creates costly externalities, and drivers often receive substandard pay and benefits. The brief argues that CTP would return nearly $4.2 billion...

Park Impact Fees 101

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2015

Level City or Town, County

State(s) Washington

Source Clark County

Policy Areas Community Development, Economic Justice, Finance & Procurement, Public Spaces

Park Impact Fees (PIFs) are fees levied on the construction of new residential housing to provide an ongoing source of revenue for park and recreational space development. This guide outlines best practices for implementing PIFs and highlights how Clark County and Vancouver have developed...

The Economic Benefits of BREC Parks

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2023

Level City or Town

State(s) All States

Source The Trust for Public Land

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Environment & Natural Resources, Health, Public Spaces

This report examines how Baton Rouge's parks promote recreation, reduce healthcare costs, bolster tourism, reduce pollution, and provide other economic benefits. It provides a guide for quantifying the economic impacts of the parks system and outlines how parks can be used as a tool...

The Green Streets, Green Jobs, Green Towns (G3) Approach

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2023

Level City or Town

State(s) All States

Source Environmental Protection Agency

Policy Areas Environment & Natural Resources, Finance & Procurement, Public Spaces

The Green Streets, Green Jobs, Green Towns (G3) Initiative provides support to communities in urbanized watersheds looking to reduce stormwater runoff using green infrastructure. This brief outlines how communities can incorporate green technology into roadway and utility upgrades....

Integrating Valuation Methods to Recognize Green Infrastructure's Multiple Benefits

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2010

Level City or Town

State(s) All States

Source Center for Neighborhood Technology

Policy Areas Energy, Environment & Natural Resources

This report outlines the environmental and economic benefits associated with different types of green infrastructure, including urban forests, permeable pavement, water harvesting technology, green roofs, and infiltration practices like rain gardens, bioswales, and constructed wetlands....

2019 San Francisco Ordinance 74-19 Benchmarking Energy Usage

Type Ordinance or Resolution

Year 2019

Level City or Town, County

State(s) California

Source City and County of San Francisco

Policy Areas Data & Technology, Energy

The ordinance requires owners of certain residential and non-residential buildings to track and report their energy usage to San Francisco's Department of the Environment. In turn, the Department of the Environment will make this data available to the public. ...

The Power of Parks to Address Climate Change

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2022

Level City or Town

State(s) All States

Source The Trust for Public Land

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Environment & Natural Resources, Public Spaces

Parks and green spaces reduce air temperatures and absorb floodwater, making them vital resources in mitigating the effects of climate change. This report outlines how cities are supporting park services and promoting natural spaces to lower urban temperatures, manage stormwater,...

Green Space: An Underestimated Tool to Create More Equal Cities

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2020

Level City or Town

State(s) All States

Source World Resources Institute

Policy Areas Civil Rights, Economic Justice, Environment & Natural Resources, Public Spaces

Improving access to urban green spaces can promote equity in health, safety, and climate resilience. This report outlines how access to quality green spaces like public parks and athletic fields is often linked to wealth and examines how local governments can improve green space equity...

Green Roofing

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2020

Level City or Town

State(s) All States

Source Sustainable Development Code

Policy Areas Democracy & Governance, Environment & Natural Resources, Public Spaces

Cities can use their zoning codes to mandate sustainable development practices like green roofing, which promotes heat absorption, increases stormwater filtration, and provides recreational opportunities. This policy brief outlines how municipalities have leveraged incentives like...

A Short Guide to Setting Up a City-Scale Retrofit Program

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2009

Level City or Town

State(s) All States

Source Center on Wisconsin Strategy, Green for All

Policy Areas Energy, Environment & Natural Resources

This policy brief explains how local governments can design and implement retrofitting and/or renovation programs that make homes more energy efficient. It also presents strategies for capturing financial savings from retrofits, creating high-quality green jobs, and ensuring that...

Complete Parks Playbook

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2018

Level City or Town, County

State(s) All States, Pennsylvania, Texas

Source ChangeLab Solutions

Policy Areas Education, Environment & Natural Resources, Health, Public Spaces

Parks enhance communities by promoting physical, mental, and social health. This guide outlines the 'complete parks approach', which helps local governments promote parks improvements by engaging communities who have historically been overlooked during parks planning discussions,...

Generating and Prioritizing Funding for Active Transportation

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2020

Level City or Town, County

State(s) All States

Source Safe Routes to School National Partnership

Policy Areas Public Spaces, Transportation & Mobility

Transportation plays a critical role in the health and economic development of a metropolitan area. When people have the ability to walk, bike, or take transit safely to a destination, the whole region benefits from healthier people, better air quality, and reduced traffic fatalities....

Purchase of Development Rights

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2018

Level City or Town

State(s) All States

Source Sustainable Development Code

Policy Areas Community Development, Democracy & Governance, Environment & Natural Resources, Public Spaces

Local governments prevent environmentally damaging land development by developing purchase of development rights (PDR) programs. PDR programs enable landowners to sell the development rights of their land to a trust while keeping ownership and use. This brief outlines best practices...

Local Sustainability: A menu of policy options greening communities

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2011

Level City or Town, County, City or Town

State(s) Ohio

Source Policy Matters Ohio

Policy Areas Environment & Natural Resources, Economic Justice, Civil Rights, Energy

This policy brief provides an overview of "The Oberlin Project," a partnership between the City of Oberlin and Oberlin College exemplifying energy, waste, transit, industrial, and workforce development policies designed for sustainable economic growth. Among a variety of interventions...

Local Technical Assistance Toolkit: Energy Efficiency in Water and Wastewater Facilities

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2011

Level City or Town

State(s) All States

Source American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy

Policy Areas Energy, Community Development, Public Spaces, Environment & Natural Resources, Economic Justice

This toolkit recommends local governments improve the efficiency of their water facilities by requiring energy audits, updating regulations on equipment management, and providing financial incentives for energy-efficient projects. It also includes links to relevant resources and features...

Leveraging Catastrophe Bonds: As a Mechanism for Resilient Infrastructure Project Finance

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2017

Level City or Town

State(s) All States

Source Re:Focus Partners

Policy Areas Environment & Natural Resources, Community Development

Often the most cost-effective solutions to disaster risk are the ones available to communities prior to a disaster to protect against a loss occurring in the first place. Yet cities around the world are struggling to fund even basic infrastructure projects, let alone more complex...

Climate Investment at a Scale that Matters: Utility Franchise Fees & Pollution Control Annual

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2024

Level City or Town

State(s) Minnesota

Source Institute for Market Transformation

Policy Areas Energy, Environment & Natural Resources

Utility Franchise Fees and Pollution Control Annual Registration can prevent catastrophic future harms, mitigate damage, and help communities become climate resilient. Local funding mechanisms allow cities to target the biggest fees and reinvest in marginalized communities. This fact...

Urban Heat Islands 101

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2023

Level City or Town

State(s) All States

Source Resources for the Future

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Environment & Natural Resources, Public Spaces

The urban heat island effect describes an increase in temperatures caused by heat absorbing surfaces in urban areas and heat-generating human activity. This guide explains how these heat islands are formed and outlines the impacts of extreme heat on public health, the economy, and...

LADWP Energy Efficiency Goal Principles Resolution

Type Ordinance or Resolution

Year 2012

Level City or Town

State(s) California

Source City of Los Angeles

Policy Areas Environment & Natural Resources, Energy, Democracy & Governance

This resolution outlines the development and implementation strategy for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power's energy efficiency portfolio. The programs in the portfolio aim to promote energy efficiency by targeting large consumers, assisting hard to reach customers, advocating...

Beyond Neoliberalism: A Policy Agenda for a Progressive City

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2021

Level City or Town

State(s) All States

Source Drexel University

Policy Areas Civil Rights, Community Development, Democracy & Governance, Economic Justice, Housing

Progressive cities should embrace redistributive policies and community organizing to increase equality in employment, affordable housing, and public transportation, and mitigate adverse environmental impacts. This report examines systemic inequities and provides progressive solutions...

Cash for Communities: Leveraging Historic Federal Funds for Racial, Economic, and Climate Justice

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2024

Level City or Town, County

State(s) All States

Source Local Progress

Policy Areas Community Development, Democracy & Governance, Economic Justice, Finance & Procurement

Local governments and school districts can utilize unprecedented levels of funding administered through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to increase clean energy utilization, invest in green infrastructure, and create high-quality green jobs. This policy brief provides strategies...

New Perspectives on Climate Finance for Cities

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2016

Level City or Town

State(s) All States

Source C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group

Policy Areas Environment & Natural Resources, Energy, Transportation & Mobility, Democracy & Governance

New Perspectives on Climate Finance for Cities has been prepared by C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, Siemens and Citi. The focus is specifically on routes to financing climate change projects and programs. A multitude of guides already exist exploring more conventional routes...

ProGov21 Policy Library

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