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According to the World Green Building Council, “cities account for 70% of global greenhouse gas emissions, consume 60% of resources and generate 50% of waste. An urgent response to climate change and it’s impact on humanity requires efforts by stakeholders across borders and sectors to accelerate a human- and eco-centric response to environmental solutions.”
Services include:
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- green infrastructure planning
- stakeholder sessions
- program development support
- custom toolkits
- marketing support
- project management
- LEED, WELL project support
Community
The need to improve environmental equity and resilience within our communities is vital. It requires a wholistic perspective and strategic planning focus on increasing equitable access to resources while addressing problems related to climate change.
A focus on green infrastructure is one aspect of this wholistic approach. For instance, the absence of greenery combined with the prevalence of heat-absorbing materials creates heat islands, where temperatures can reach up to 7 degrees Fahrenheit higher than surrounding non-urban areas. Higher temperatures, in turn, lead to higher levels of energy required for air-conditioning and higher GHG emissions overall.*
Equitable Environmental Footprint
“a peaceful space inc” services and methodologies focus on human and environmental solutions for sustainable cities and communities. Our services include:
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- outcomes-oriented policies and strategies centered on green infrastructure, resilience and social equity
- data-driven decision making, transparency and leadership
- program support to improve the standard of living and quality of life in cities and communities
*NOTE: In the case of heat-absorbing materials, vegetation can be used to replace or shade the heat-absorbing surfaces that are common in cities, serving as a natural method of regulating local climate. As an example of how greenery can have a direct impact on energy use for buildings, tree coverage of 20% of a house can create cooling savings of 8–18% and heating savings of 2–8%, which, in turn, reduces GHG emissions associated with air-conditioning use. Additionally, trees and shrubs naturally sequester carbon from the atmosphere and can help to reduce overall footprint.
Source: USGBC
Impact of Climate on Marginalized Communities
Sources: The Vanguard Cities Network and Planning Magazine
Heat disproportionately affects marginalized residents and those who face systematic inequities such as workplace safety, quality housing, affordable energy, reliable transportation, and access to. quality healthcare. Heat affects communities’ quality of life, local economic activity, energy and water use, wildlife, vegetation and landscaping, infrastructure, and agriculture. These negative consequences disproportionately affect marginalized residents and those who face systematic inequities such as workplace safety, housing quality, energy affordability, transportation reliability, and healthcare access.
$1.5 billion for urban forestry was included in the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022. In March of this year (2023), The Vanguard Cities Network launched its first of three five-month programs, known as the Urban Nature-based Climate Solutions Accelerator, which will consist of more than a dozen training and collaboration sessions.
Planning can shape heat risk and help communities achieve greater heat resiliency by proactively managing and mitigating heat across the many systems and sectors it affects.
There are three foundational areas of urban nature-based climate solutions that can be defined in terms of “problem + solution” pairings:
1) Urban Heat + Urban Forestry
2 ) Carbon-Depleted Landscapes + Circular Urban Carbon Economies
3) Storm-Flood Risks + Green Infrastructure
For each foundational area, participants will be guided through a 5-month intensive training sequence. Each 5-month sequence will cover five overall themes tailored to the particular topic area.
