Embodying Justice in the Built Environment
2024 - 2026
Embodying Justice in the Built Environment is a framework presented in a series of guides and workbooks for government agencies and community organizations seeking to center justice and equity in their work toward building carbon-neutral futures. The Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance funded this research, and its staff and member cities participated in its creation.
Circularity in Practice
Just and Equitable Land Use Transitions In Advancing Carbon Neutrality
“The design of our communities is rooted in historic and ongoing systems of injustice. Planning and policy decisions, therefore, require participatory processes that prioritize communities who are the most impacted and have the greatest barriers to engaging in policy-making processes. This workbook provides a practical resource to help cities and community members to deepen their collaboration.”
– Tracy Morgenstern, CNCA's Climate Justice Director
“Unintended harms from past planning practices continue to affect communities, but they are not irreversible. Meaningful change begins with listening and a willingness to understand place-based histories. This guide shows that justice-centered land use is not abstract nor unattainable in the pursuit of achieving carbon neutrality. Cities can take practical steps now by building stronger relationships, elevating community voices, and designing transitions that support shared futures.”
– Dylan Stevenson, University of Washington
I had the distinct pleasure of presenting our work, Embodying Justice and Carbon in the Built Environment, in Türkiye at the Association of European Schools of Planning (AESOP) 2025 Congress. The talk, Embodying Justice in the Built Environment: Transatlantic Reflections on Carbon Neutrality, Circularity, and Justice, drew from two collaborative publications on Embodying Justice supported by the Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance. I discussed how planners, government agencies, and communities can meaningfully integrate justice and equity into their efforts to achieve carbon neutrality and reduce embodied carbon. I also shared case studies from our publications and reflected on transatlantic differences and shared challenges in advancing justice in the built environment, exploring how we might work toward a more equitable future. - Ash Kopetzky, Just Places Lab researcher