SCC-CIVIC-PG Track A: Enhancing the Capacity for Environmental and Social Resiliency in Overburdened Communities

有色人种社区往往处于环境危害的前沿。研究表明，这些社区的所有年龄段的人都受到环境危害的严重影响，包括空气和水质差。随着极端高温、干旱、洪水和野火等与气候相关的灾害不断恶化，威胁着美国各地的社区，这些前线社区往往首当其冲，受到最严重的影响。在城市和农村社区，气候变化和相互关联的环境危害对地方经济和人民的身心健康都产生了负面影响。为了应对这些对繁荣和人类福祉的威胁，需要采取新的办法，使社区能够设想和建设一个有复原力的未来。该项目将开发解决这一问题的工具，特别是使社区能够参与复原力规划的方法。该方法以地方为基础，侧重于社区价值观和愿望，并强调为自己设想一个有弹性的未来的方法-更健康的生活，工作和娱乐场所。这一办法将使社区能够确定自己的挑战和解决办法，从而改善与技术专家和决策者的对话。这种方法是多寿命和交叉的，因此变革可以跨代持续。如果成功，这项研究将在当地社区建立设想复原力的能力，并将导致可在许多其他地方采用的有效方法。2021年，华盛顿州议会通过了《人人享有健康环境（HEAL）法案》，旨在解决环境不公正问题。它这样做的部分方式是将国家机构必须创造条件，“有意义地参与”负担过重的社区，即受气候危机影响不成比例的人。然而，《医疗法》并没有说明公众参与的意义。为了弥补这一差距，该项目提议开发一个设想复原力工具包，并在社区驱动的讲习班上进行测试，社区成员在讲习班上学习如何为有意义的参与创造条件。这将通过设想基于地点的复原力和从社会、技术和生态特征的角度定义基于地点的解决方案来实现。设想复原力工具包将在整个华盛顿州试行，目标是成功实现四项研究和实践成果：1）提高规划社会和环境复原力的能力; 2）基于地点的多寿命期复原力概念模型; 3）社区成员和利益攸关方之间相互学习和对话的方法; 4）一个多功能工具包，使负担过重的社区能够与国家机构互动，该项目是对公民创新挑战方案-轨道B的回应。弥合基本资源和服务社区需求之间的差距-是NSF、国土安全部和能源部之间的合作。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Communities of color are often at the frontlines of environmental hazards. Research shows that people of all ages in such communities are disproportionally impacted by environmental hazards, including poor air and water quality. As worsening climate-related disasters, such as extreme heat, drought, floods, and wildfires, threaten communities across the United States, these frontline communities often experience the first and the worst of the impacts. In urban and rural communities alike, climate change and interrelated environmental hazards negatively affect local economies and people’s physical and mental health. To address these threats to prosperity and human well-being, new approaches are needed that enable communities to envision and build a resilient future. This project will develop tools to address this, specifically methods that empower communities to engage in resilience planning. The approach is place-based, focused on community values and aspirations, and emphasizes methods for envisioning a resilient future for themselves – more healthy places to live, work, and enjoy recreation. The approach will position communities to identify their own challenges and solutions, thereby improving dialogue with technical experts and policymakers. The approach is multi-lifespan and intersectional, so that transformations can be sustained across generations. If successful, this research will build capacity in local communities for envisioning resilience and will lead to effective methods that can be employed in many other places. In 2021, the Washington State Legislature passed the Healthy Environment for All (HEAL) Act, which seeks to address environmental injustice. It does so in part by putting into law that State agencies must create the conditions for “meaningful involvement” with overburdened communities, that is, with people who are disproportionately impacted by the climate crisis. However, the HEAL Act does not say how meaningful public involvement is to take place. To address this gap, the project proposes to develop an Envisioning Resilience Toolkit and test it in community-driven workshops where community members learn how to create the conditions for meaningful involvement. This will be done by envisioning place-based resilience and defining place-based solutions in terms of social, technological, and ecological features. The Envisioning Resilience Toolkit will be piloted across the state of Washington with the goal of successfully achieving four research and practice outcomes: 1) improved capacity to plan for social and environmental resilience; 2) place-based, multi-lifespan conceptual models of resilience; 3) methods for mutual learning and dialog between community members and stakeholders; and 4) a versatile toolkit, which empowers overburdened communities in their interactions with State agencies.This project is in response to the Civic Innovation Challenge program—Track B. Bridging the gap between essential resources and services & community needs—and is a collaboration between NSF, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Energy.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.