Environmental justice ensures that people of all races, cultures and incomes are equally and equitably valued, protected and served by our City. This includes regulations and policies that impact the quality of the environment around us, such as transportation, parks, natural spaces, City services and the overall use of land.

With the goal of increasing equitable access to public parks and open space, the Planning Department in collaboration with the Parks and Recreation Department will develop a Citywide Trails Master Plan, the Park Needs Index and Chollas Creek Regional Park Master Plan.

The Chollas Creek Regional Park and Citywide Trails Master Plans will implement policies brought forward by the Environmental Justice Element. The Recreational Element, Parks Master Plan and the Park Needs Index will provide a metric to help prioritize park investments in areas with the greatest needs.

The City will create an Inclusive Public Engagement Guide to ensure inclusive public engagement and community participation for City initiatives, plans and projects, particularly in communities that have historically experienced barriers to public participation. Participation that is truly representative of the communities is critical to ensuring that we are making decisions in ways that will most improve everyone’s quality of life. In addition, Planning staff will engage with the community to gather feedback on project prioritization of infrastructure projects to inform the development of the Five Year Capital Infrastructure Planning Outlook.

Partnerships with community-based organizations and other private entities have incredible potential to improve our city. The Planning Department will identify reforms needed to most easily partner with outside organizations to encourage community investments, such as parks and other public spaces. Planning staff will coordinate with other City departments and engage with community-based organizations and other groups to identify opportunities for greater efficiency, coordination and cooperation.