WE BELIEVE WE MUST KNOW WHERE WE ARE GOING TO GET THERE—AND WHERE WE ARE GOING SHOULD BE BOLD AND VISIONARY
HARRIS COUNTY CLIMATE JUSTICE framework+PLAN
Across 2023 and 2024 the Community Design Resource Center worked in partnership with Dr. Tane Ward, Harris County Office of Sustainability, the Coalition for Environment, Equity, and Resilience, and others to create a framework for climate justice in Harris County and a climate justice plan. The CDRC, in collaboration with Dr. Ward, designed the workshops, summarized what we heard, and developed the Framework and Plan.
While the Framework defined the guiding principles and values that shaped the planning process and the plan, the Plan itself is a visionary, values-based, community plan created by the people of Harris County.
The plan is VISIONARY in that it goes beyond a standard five- or ten-year timeline and imagines 100 years into the future and beyond. The extended timeline encourages long-term thinking and provides more space to define the actions needed to achieve the goals.
The plan is VALUES-BASED because each action is rooted in a specific value that emerged in community discussions. These shared values formed the foundation of the process and served as a guide in imagining the future.
It is a COMMUNITY PLAN because it extends beyond the reach and power of county and asks all of us to play a role in creating a better future.
In meeting with hundreds of Harris County residents over 2023 and 2024, we heard a lot about their visions for the future. We were left with an understanding about the world they want to create for their children, grandchildren, and beyond. People dream of a future where they are swimming in the bayous, where they are growing and sharing food with their neighbors, where they feel safe in their homes and in their communities, and where nature, with her great power to both create and destroy, is nurtured, respected, and integrated into their lives. People want to be cared for and care for each other. People want a functioning transparent government that they can openly communicate with and be seen as partners in working towards climate justice.
The actions in the plan move us towards these visions, which include the desire for clean air, water, and soil; resilient infrastructure; a fair economy; thriving communities; and cultures of care. The actions are organized into five overarching themes: Ecology, Infrastructure, Economy, Community, and Culture.
2023/2025
Project Leads: Harris County Office of Sustainability, Coalition for Environment, Equity, and Resilience (CEER)
Facilitators, Plan Designers and Authors Harris County Climate Justice Framework and Climate Justice Plan: Community Design Resource Center, University of Houston, Susan Rogers, Director, Diana Arias, Natalie Armstrong, Kai Wen Chua, Valeria Gonzalez, Roberto Medrano, Regyna Palacios; Tane Ward, PhD
Sponsors: Please see the reports for a full list of sponsors and funders
Press:
"Harris County commissioners approve climate justice plan" by Sarah Grunau, April 24, 2025.
"Harris County has a new Climate Justice Plan. What is it all about?"