Which Plans Matter for Creating Actionable, Equitable Climate Policy: Comprehensive or Climate Action Plans?

Communities face time and funding constraints in plan-making. To understand which plan types are preferred and how those preferences relate to local politics, implementation action, and equity, this research assembled the first comprehensive state-wide database of General Plans and Climate Action Plans (CAPs). Through plan scoring, term counts, siting of electric vehicle (EV) charging ports, and Community-Based Organization (CBO)–led climate readiness workshops hosted across the state, we find that addressing EV policy in both CAPs and General Plans statistically increases the likelihood that the jurisdiction sites EV charging ports. Underlying community characteristics impact plan choice. For every increase in the percentage of Democrat voters, a jurisdiction is 4 percent more likely to create a CAP. At the same time, neither CAPs nor General Plans included a fulsome focus on equity, indicating room for additional planning focus. To ensure climate readiness planning, we recommend that state and federal agencies support a flexible local planning approach while increasing opportunities for local jurisdictions to learn from and celebrate advances.