Municipal Climate Action Plan

Happening Now

The City is implementing the first phase of the Municipal Climate Action Plan [MCAP], which was approved by City Council at their March 28, 2023 meeting.

The MCAP updated the 2009 Sustainability Management Plan to incorporate new policies and resolutions, identify the top 22 most impactful, equitable, and feasible activities, and create a roadmap for accomplishing the three adopted goals and building the City’s resilience.

Background

On June 8, 2021, City Council voted unanimously to enter into a contract with AECOM to develop the MCA. AECOM was considered the most qualified organization to address both climate resiliency and carbon mitigation and partnered with Asheville-based FernLeaf Interactive.

Timeline

AECOM used a five-step approach, as outlined below, to develop the MCAP.

Fall/Winter 2021

Step 1 – Discovery: AECOM and the City aligned on project goals while AECOM researched existing City sustainability goals and actions.

Winter 2021 – Spring 2022

Step 2 – Engagement: AECOM interviewed selected City staff members to gain additional insight into the City’s accomplishments, barriers, and opportunities, and met with the Sustainability Advisory Committee on Energy and the Environment (SACEE) to discuss prioritization factors.

Spring 2022

Step 3 – Assessment: AECOM used the gathered information to perform a gap analysis, best-practice review, and creation of a list of high-impact climate action opportunities.

Fall 2022

Step 4 – Prioritization: AECOM worked with the City to prioritize the top 22 actions using a framework to determine the highest impact, most equitable, and most feasible options.

Winter 2022 – 2023

Step 5 – MCAP Development: The project team developed an implementation timeline including project cost estimates, staff capacity requirements, and anticipated resources required to implement the MCAP.

Spring 2023