Sustainability and Resilience Planning
Counties and municipalities prepare master plans to establish a long-term comprehensive vision for a community’s development and to present strategies to achieve the desired vision. Scroll through the items below to learn about environmental sustainability and resilience and how to integrate these concepts into master plans.
The United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development defines sustainable development as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” Local communities around the world have adopted this definition – or variants – as a workable concept of sustainability.
Environment, economy, and equity form the “Three E’s” of a sustainable society. While this toolkit focuses specifically on environmental sustainability, the “Three E’s” are inextricably intertwined. The emphasis here is on promoting a healthy environment in order to create and maintain well-paying jobs in the region’s key industries and to ensure that people of all backgrounds reap the ensuing benefits of a cleaner, more sustainable environment. Local plans and policies should avoid further negative impacts to those who have experienced disproportionate levels of harm in their community due to environmental burdens, such as exposure to high levels of air pollution.
Resilience is “the capacity of individuals, communities, institutions, businesses, and systems within a city to survive, adapt, and grow no matter what kind of chronic stresses and acute shocks they experience” (100 Resilient Cities 2017). The importance of preparing for environmental “shocks and stresses” across the TNJ region has become increasingly clear over the last decade. Hurricane Irene in 2011 and Superstorm Sandy in 2012 resulted in widespread flooding, property and infrastructure damage, and loss of life throughout the state. Average temperatures and sea levels are rising and precipitation is increasing, due to climate change caused by human activity.
Broad consensus has emerged that climate resilience is a critical aspect of ensuring a sustainable future. Changes to climate and resultant weather patterns are expected to continue throughout this century and will have serious consequences for our communities, infrastructure, and environmental resources. Some minority and low-income populations are especially vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and deserve special consideration in resilience planning. Even as we work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, we must adapt our communities to the inevitably of a changing climate.
New Jersey’s state entities are working to incorporate environmental sustainability into plans, policies and programs in response to climate change and other urgent environmental concerns. Below are recent initiatives of the Office of the Governor and the New Jersey Legislature.
The Draft 2019 New Jersey Energy Master Plan proposes the goal of achieving 100 percent clean energy by 2050 and greenhouse gas emissions reductions of 80 percent below 2006 levels by 2050.
New Jersey rejoined the Regional Greenhous Gas Initiative (RGGI) in 2019 after establishing a market-based program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The State is a member of the Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI), a regional collaboration of 12 Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states and the District of Columbia seeking to improve transportation, develop the clean energy economy and reduce carbon emissions from the transportation sector.
In late 2019, Governor Phil Murphy signed Executive Order No. 92 to more than double New Jersey’s offshore wind goal from 3,500 megawatts of offshore wind-generated electricity by 2030 to 7,500 megawatts by 2035.
In October 2019, Governor Murphy signed Executive Order No. 89 to establish a Statewide Climate Change Resilience Strategy, an Interagency Council on Climate Resilience comprised of 16 state agencies, and a Climate and Flood Resilience Program within the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP).
In January 2020, Governor Murphy signed legislation to increase the number of electric vehicles (EVs) on the road, increase publicly accessible charging infrastructure, electrify fleets and provide an EV rebate program.
Local planning is critical to supporting and advancing state sustainability goals and objectives, as well as improving quality of life for local residents and creating communities that are attractive to businesses and visitors. The planning process is an opportunity to take stock of environmental resources and comprehensively consider the current and long-term impacts of human activity on the environment. The planning process establishes goals and objectives for ensuring a healthy environment for all community members and proposes corresponding strategies. Planning is also an opportunity to engage residents, business owners, and other stakeholders to build support for sustainability and to learn what sustainability means to the local community.
The master plan serves as the legal basis for a municipality’s or county’s land use and development regulations. An effective master planning process and planning document fosters transparency in municipal and county policies and decision-making. Documenting goals, objectives, and strategies enhances a community’s ability to pursue implementation and tap into federal, state, and private sector funding opportunities. In this respect, the master plan creates a solid foundation for advancing sustainability and resilience.
New Jersey municipalities prepare master plans under New Jersey Municipal Land Use Law (MLUL) to guide future development. Adopted master plans must establish objectives, principles, assumptions, policies, and standards that form the basis for proposals for a community’s physical, economic and social development. Plans must include an “element” (chapter) on land use. In addition, there are a number of optional elements a municipality may include, such as housing, circulation, utilities, and others.
State law also allows counties to establish a planning board and adopt a master plan to guide decisions related to the extent and timing of county capital facility improvements (such as roads and parks). County master plans can also extend beyond these basic considerations to include any county programs or services, such as farmland preservation, social services, and others. Like municipalities, counties should work to incorporate sustainability and resilience into master plans. Counties can be key actors in addressing issues that extend across municipal borders and can provide technical support to municipalities.
The New Jersey Legislature amended the MLUL in 2008 to give municipalities the option of including a Green Building and Sustainability Element (referred to in this toolkit as “sustainability element”) in their master plans. The intention of the Green Building and Sustainability Element is to:
- provide for, encourage, and promote efficient use of natural resources and the installation and usage of renewable energy systems
- consider, encourage and promote the development of public electric vehicle charging infrastructure in appropriate locations
- consider the impact of buildings on the local, regional and global environment
- allow ecosystems to function naturally
- conserve and reuse water
- treat storm water on-site
- optimize conditions through site orientation and design
In 2018, the legislature passed a bill requiring the land use element of a municipal master plan to address smart growth, storm resilience and environmental sustainability issues, including a statement of strategy concerning:
- smart growth, including consideration of potential locations for the installation of electric vehicle charging stations;
- storm resilience with respect to energy supply, flood-prone areas, and environmental infrastructure;
- and environmental sustainability.
Most recently, in 2019, the legislature passed a bill encouraging local units to plan for electric vehicle charging infrastructure by encouraging each municipality, at the time of the reexamination of its master plan, pursuant to the MLUL, to identify existing sites of public electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, propose locations for future development of public EV charging infrastructure and consider the development of public EV charging infrastructure in local redevelopment plans.
At a minimum, municipalities must include a statement of strategy concerning sustainability and resilience in the land use element. However, counties and municipalities should incorporate environmental sustainability and climate resilience throughout all elements of a master plan. The inclusion of a separate sustainability element may be an opportunity to address sustainability at a greater level of detail. It can also serve as a first step before incorporating recommendations into other master plan elements during later updates or re-examinations. Preparation of a sustainability element will likely require additional financial and staff resources. Ultimately, each municipality should consider whether a sustainability element will add value to its master plan and facilitate implementation.
Yes! Below are several examples (click on the name for details) of sustainability elements adopted by municipalities and counties in the TNJ region and other areas of the state. Some elements are in-depth, detailed documents resulting from an extensive and well-resourced planning process while others are the result of more modest efforts, yet still effectively outline a sustainable course of action.
Some communities have integrated sustainability and resilience throughout the elements of the master plan. For example, in addition to preparing a separate sustainability element, the City of Hoboken’s 2018 master plan re-examination and land use element update set a guiding theme of “becoming a sustainable and resilient city.” The re-examination and land use element “do not seek to replicate, but rather bolster, key ideas” presented in the sustainability element. The Town of Morristown adopted a 2014 master plan that integrates sustainability and resilience throughout and uses sustainability as a framework for measuring success.
There are a number of common elements found in effective sustainability elements and sustainability- and resilience-oriented master plans that are generally held as planning best practices:
Explain the concept of environmental sustainability and resilience and define what these concepts mean to your community
Explain the statutory basis for preparing a sustainability element and how the sustainability element relates to other elements of the plan
Document public engagement activities
Summarize existing conditions and trends, including any environmental justice (EJ) concerns and any available baseline assessment like greenhouse gas inventories, energy use assessments, or public health inventories
Document community’s existing sustainability policies and programs and accomplishments
Establish a vision for local sustainability and resilience, expressed in a succinct statement
Establish sustainability and resilience goals and objectives
Develop strategies and actions for achieving sustainability objectives, typically organized by topic area, such as land use, transportation, energy, water, waste, etc.
Establish performance measures and metrics for tracking progress toward objectives
Assign responsible parties for implementation actions
Municipal officials and planning professionals shared with Together North Jersey lessons learned through involvement with local sustainability and resilience planning and implementation efforts. Here are some key points communities should keep in mind:
Every community is unique, and what makes sense in one community may not make sense in another. Local leaders should work with community members to decide what sustainability means to them. Engaging early and often with the public helps foster community buy-in.
Even if a community maintains a separate sustainability element, environmental sustainability considerations should be incorporated into other master plan elements and per State law, must be incorporated into the municipal land use element as a statement of strategy. This puts sustainability front and center in the community’s vision for development and clarifies the relationship between environmental sustainability and resilience and issues such as land use and transportation.
A municipality or county should consider how the goals and recommendations of a sustainability element are compatible and consistent with the provisions of other master plan elements. The municipality or county should state explicitly how the sustainability element relates to other elements.
There are different levels and types of costs, whether financial or staff time, associated with different sustainability strategies. Communities should prioritize those strategies that are relatively low-cost yet can achieve community-wide benefits.
There are numerous planning efforts that advance environmental sustainability, including other master plan elements (e.g., conservation element), community-based sustainability plans, climate action plans, hazard mitigation plans and others. As appropriate, the master plan should incorporate and synthesize the findings and recommendations from existing plans and studies.
Natural systems like rivers, aquifers and the air around us extend across jurisdictional boundaries, as do human-built systems like transportation networks. Communities should consider how local objectives relate to established national, state and regional policies and how to coordinate local planning with other jurisdictions and external stakeholders and partners.
Not all communities have the same staff capacity to prepare a sustainability element. There are a number of planning services available to assist municipalities and counties that can be found in the Planning Assistance Resources section of this toolkit.
Even more well-resourced communities may want to turn to volunteer members to assist with implementation. Many communities will find existing volunteer networks, such as Sustainable Jersey Green Teams, or residents and local organizations eager to engage. Others may have to make a sustained effort to build networks and generate enthusiasm.