Thrive 2050 Facts: Green Infrastructure, Climate Resilience and Equity Must Be Part of the Plan

10/5/2021

Update 11.8 The PHED Committee has released their draft of the Thrive Plan. Much like the staff recommendations, the changes are mostly in the introduction and conclusion sections of the plan.
Still missing from the plan are the chapters that specifically outline the goals and action items on environmental protection and climate mitigation that were stripped from the plan after the public hearings (see: Thrive By the Numbers for a comparison of the document created with public input and this far more watered down one the Council is moving toward approval).
Councilmember Hans Riemer even called for these sections to be put back into the plan at a worksession in July. CM Riemer says “I’m definitely convinced we need to have the chapter on the environment back in the main plan. Like no question about that. Let’s do that." So we are left to wonder - where is is?

Update 10.22: The PHED Committee of the Council met on moving Thrive forward. While the inclusion of more language promoting Green Infrastructure, most of the changes are in the conclusion and introduction portions of the document. See the staff recommendations here.

The Thrive 2050 plan, the master plan update process that will guide the county's growth and development for the coming decades is nearing approval by the Council. Many residents are frustrated with the lack of concrete recommendations in the plan that take on real challenges like affordable housing, equity and climate preparedness. As the plan moves forward, the county seems to be spending more time calling these legitimate concerns "myths" to be dispelled in both text and video form than revising the plan to make it stronger.

It is fact, not myth, that the draft Thrive plan does not give appropriate emphasis to climate change response, the importance of green infrastructure and the role of the Reserve in our resilience both in food and fiber production and biodiversity. In general, the final plan offers 85% less actions than the one created from public listening sessions plus many other alarming reductions as seen below. (Check out Thrive by the Word Counts to see the data.)
Dismissing concerns and those who express them (repeatedly and in slick production) about the implications of the draft “Thrive” plan as myths reflects the continued disdain held for the public by Planning.

We are proud to have joined with other civic organizations to call on the Council to add a comprehensive green infrastructure plan as a core priority of the Thrive 2050 plan. Green Infrastructure includes things like: interconnected greenway spaces, conservation landscaping including tree plantings and rain gardens, and constructed wetlands.

This letter does not just call for green infrastructure to be made a priority - but the equitable distribution of the green infrastructure as well.

The measure of "Tree Equity" is a term coined by planners to address the the disparity in green infrastructure in low income neighborhoods. Lower tree canopy is statistically correlated with poor health outcomes. Green infrastructure can make healthier and more resilient communities (improving air quality, reducing flooding, reducing temperature) and makes the biggest impact in the most vulnerable neighborhoods, just the sort of solution we should be prioritizing as we plan decades ahead.

The letter urging Green Infrastructure planning has gone to the Council but we need your help to amplify the message - please take two minutes to send the Council a note.

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An Update- There have been some who insist that green infrastructure and environmental protection is already a part of the draft Thrive plan. For those wanting to take a deeper dive into the shortcomings of the plan on this score - please see the explainer here: "When Protecting the Environment is like dressing on the side."

Just by the numbers, the Thrive 2050 plan in front of the Council, in comparison to the one floated for public comment:
- 85% fewer suggested actions
-Half the protection
-Setting 80% fewer goals
-About two-thirds less concerned about the climate
-60% less focused on equity
-10% more focused on growth
-80% less concerned about food - be that growing it or accessing it
-Half the concern for forests
-73% less concerned with resiliency, climate or other wise
Dig into all this Data Here

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Thrive 2050 Facts: Green Infrastructure, Climate Resilience and Equity Must Be Part of the Plan

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