Definitions & Project Scope

Senate Bill 1000, also known as the Planning for Healthy Communities Act, was signed into law in 2016 and requires the development and adoption of an Environmental Justice Element or the integration of Environmental Justice policies into a city’s General Plan upon the update of two other General Plan Elements.

Environmental Justice is the field of work which revolves around addressing injustice in the built environment, namely in cities. Over every city’s history there have been myriad factors which shape each environment and the populations who live there. The image below explains in part how historical factors can influence the present-day conditions residents experience and the impacts they have on our lives while also introducing potential pathways to resolving these inequities.

 

How the City of Chico is Planning for Environmental Justice

The City of Chico’s process for approaching the implementation of the requirements of Senate Bill 1000 is best broken down into three phases.