PLACE Initiative is focused on the role that place plays in climate change and equity. This youth-led group builds upon years of collaboration, ideation, and action from a diverse cross section of place-focused professionals. Electric cars and renewable energy alone will not be sufficient to meet our 2050 climate goals, and we believe that urbanism is the missing link. Neither can our climate goals be achieved when much of our society is held down by racial and social injustice. With the climate and social crises accelerating, the impact that urban growth and development policy plays on our planet’s and society’s future must be addressed. PLACE Initiative hopes to motivate a new generation that deeply believes climate and social solutions can wait no longer.

PLACE represents the importance of community, and stands for the intersection of climate change and equity. Proactive Leadership Advocating for Climate and Equity, PLACE hopes to establish partnerships and grow leadership around policy change and advocacy to achieve people-centric solutions to the climate-driven challenges of our future.

PLACE Initiative has assembled a network of resources and people who have proven that great urbanism can provide far-lasting, systemic improvements in response to the climate and social crises. We are crafting resources that communicate the connections between place, climate, and equity. Our goal is to clarify these complex topics and recommend strategies and policy priorities to influence policy and advocacy. To this end, a series of climate and urbanism-focused policy recommendations were established for US governmental agencies. This comprehensive resource provides staff across many agencies with tools to improve the performance of their policies and activities from a climate and equity perspective.

Together, we must build a future where everyone has the support needed to thrive; only then are we truly able to sustain a vibrant society through challenging times. Truly addressing climate change requires an equitable society. PLACE Initiative offers a valuable perspective necessary to respond to these interconnected crises and critical in establishing a just future.