Health, Equity, and Environmental Justice
Dyett & Bhatia brings rich experience in incorporating policy-based solutions for social equity, public health, and environmental justice issues into general plans. We prepared one of the first Public Health Elements for the City of San Pablo in 2011, winning a National Award from the American Planning Association. Our approach combines robust data analysis with focused outreach to the communities most impacted by equity and justice issues.
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PUBLIC HEALTH ELEMENTS
Dyett & Bhatia prepared one of the first Public Health elements as part of a General Plan for the City of San Pablo, winner of a National Award from the American Planning Association. We have prepared more than a dozen Public Health elements since, with current generation of Public Health elements closely integrated with environmental justice and equity considerations.
CLIMATE CHANGE AND RESILIENCY
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Today’s planning context demands effective strategies to minimize or eliminate community contributions to GHG emissions, and ensuring resiliency against sea-level rise, urban heat, and increased fire risks. Climate change is central to all of our planning work; D&B has also prepared nearly half dozen climate action plans (CAPs) for cities across California. D&B partnered with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to evaluate urban heat island effects and heat-related risks in Sacramento and designed interventions to mitigate heat where vulnerability is most concentrated and direct investments where they would be most effective.
EQUITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
Sacramento Environmental Justice
San Diego Environmental Justice
Carson Environmental Justice
Dyett & Bhatia is assisting some of the largest, most-diverse, and environmentally-burdened cities in California—San Diego, Oakland, Sacramento, and Carson—to meet new California laws that require local governments to identify EJ communities (also referred to as "disadvantaged communities") in their jurisdictions and address EJ in their general plans. EJ policies must address several objectives, including facilitating transparency and public engagement in local planning and decision-making processes; reducing harmful pollutants
and the associated health risks; and promoting equitable access to health-inducing benefits, such as health food options, housing, public facilities, and recreation.
We prepared the Environmental Justice Element of the recently adopted Moreno Valley 2040 General Plan and are currently leading preparation of Environmental Justice Elements for the cities of Sacramento, San Diego, San Pablo, Turlock, and Carson.
Our approach combines robust data analysis with focused outreach to the communities most impacted by equity and justice issues. We use a variety of data to characterize local issues related to air quality, urban heat, healthy food access, pollution exposure, civic engagement, and public health and we supplement this information with input on issues and priorities gathered directly from the most impacted residents through community listening sessions, Facebook live events, and pop-up outreach in disadvantaged neighborhoods. We also regularly collaborate with community-based organizations (CBOs) to ensure their local knowledge and expertise is integrated into the work. Through this process, we develop data-driven solutions thoroughly vetted by the communities most affected. See examples below.​
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