Municipal Sustainability Plans and the Inclusion of Social Equity Initiatives

Abstract

This study investigates the factors that influence municipalities’ decisions to include social equity in their sustainability plans. The theoretical framework commonly used holds that community priority, administrative capacity, governing institutions, and social vulnerability matter. Although there is extensive literature supporting the influence of these factors in sustainability planning concerning economic development and environmental protection, few studies have investigated whether these factors explain decision-making related to the social equity dimension. Using logistic regression, this article tests these four theoretical explanations, to determine their applicability to equity-oriented sustainability planning. Results indicate that community priorities influence decision-making. When officials perceive that their communities prioritize social equity, they are much more likely to pursue equity-focused sustainability plans. Alternatively, when economic development is prioritized, equity strategies are less likely to be included in sustainability plans. The findings suggest possible policy tradeoffs among economic, environmental and equity goals.

Keywords

• sustainability
• social equity
• equity-focused planning
• local decision-making