Facilitating Community-Driven Solutions to Climate Change in Alameda, California

The City of Alameda, California, is an island community in the San Francisco Bay that faces numerous climate change risks, including extreme heat, wildfire smoke, sea level rise, and flooding. Alameda’s underserved populations are particularly vulnerable to these risks and could face disproportionate impacts from a changing climate. To help address these issues, the City chose ERG to modernize its decade-old climate action plan, with an explicit goal of engaging under-resourced populations from the start to ensure Alameda remains a place where all residents can thrive.

ERG worked closely with the  Community Action for a Sustainable Alameda coalition and other community groups to develop the Climate Action and Resiliency Plan. ERG used interactive workshop tools throughout the development process to amplify on-the-ground voices and experiences. ERG also worked with the City to identify climate vulnerabilities for overburdened neighborhoods and developed strategies to address associated risks. In addition, ERG met monthly with community representatives to build trust and ensure that all local interests were considered. With this input, ERG developed adaptation measures for each of the major vulnerabilities identified, with a focus on building resiliency among underserved populations.