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Strategy & Timeline Module

The Strategy & Timeline Module includes guidance, prompts, tips, and resources for the following CNA components.

Component
Objective

8. Solutions Menu

Creating a menu of potential solutions that could be implemented to build community and ecosystem capacity, address community needs, and advance your community’s vision.

9. Solution Prioritization

Identifying your top priority solution and conducting an analysis of strengths, opportunities, and potential pitfalls.

10. Solution Game Plan

Creating a clear, actionable game plan for the priority solution to build capacity and catalyze collective action to implement solutions and work towards your community’s vision for social equity and climate resilience.

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8. Solutions Menu

The historic and ongoing racial, social, and economic inequities harming communities require urgent and strategic action—actions that deliver concrete, near-term benefits while supporting longer-term systemic transformation. Because resources are often constrained, such as limited funding opportunities or staff capacity, it is important to identify and pursue solutions strategically in order to generate positive and lasting impacts for your community. Understanding and utilizing the most effective levers for change, as well as stacking solutions to meet multiple needs, are central to a strategic approach.

This section is focused on compiling a menu of potential solutions as an initial step to determining the solutions to prioritize, stack, and ultimately implement in your communities. You will draw from your own experiences, previous sections of your CNA, and other sources to create a list of solutions that can help to advance your community’s vision for climate equity.

There are multiple types of solutions that could be considered as part of this process. Here, we look at both projects and programs. The following typology defines projects as solutions that seek to change the physical environment and would require a specific site and materials for implementation, and programs as other types of solutions that focus on systems and processes. Another way that you can think about projects and programs could be based on time and longevity; for example, projects could be time-bound efforts with a defined end date while programs could be longer-term without a defined end date.

Project types:

    • Built Infrastructure: Projects that result in new infrastructure or modifications to existing infrastructure such as microgrids, community solar, energy efficiency, building electrification, battery storage, bike lanes, sidewalks, public transit stops, electric vehicle charging stations, ZEV car share programs, street conversions, cooling centers, and healthcare facilities.
  • Natural Infrastructure: Projects that utilize nature-based solutions and/or preserve and restore natural or modified ecosystems such as habitat restoration, forest and watershed management, meadow restoration, urban forestry and greening, green roofs and walls, living shorelines, healthy soils, community gardens, parks, and composting.

Program types:

  • Community Prosperity: New or improved programs that seek to address underlying socio-economic challenges while advancing climate equity solutions such as green workforce development, high-road economic development, minority-owned business incubators, incentives for technology adoption, financial literacy and intervention programs, food recovery to security networks.
  • System Improvements: Efforts that seek to create new or improve existing systems such as processes and mechanisms for community engagement, emergency communications, evacuations, resource access, financial services, healthcare services, governance and decision-making, goods movement, food sourcing and transport, and waste management.
  • Capacity Building: Initiatives to expand the skills, knowledge and resources of individuals, organizations, and networks to enact positive change such as those focused on education, network development, information sharing, collaboration, civic engagement, citizen science, leadership development, community organizing, and more.

The above list is not exhaustive and these solution types should not be seen as mutually exclusive. There may be other types of solutions to consider and stacking different types of solutions can generate more positive outcomes for your community.

8.18.2

Identify focus areas for solutions.

Before building your menu of possible solutions, reflect on previous sections of your CNA to identify a few areas that you and your community are most interested in addressing or concentrating on. This can help to narrow the focus of your solutions menu and subsequent CNA development steps to prioritize solutions (section 9) and develop a solution game plan (section 10).

Your focus areas do not need to be explicitly compatible or related to one another. They can be a mix of different community needs, equity issues, sectors, and/or climate impacts (e.g. extreme heat, transportation, and jobs; arts/culture and clean energy; or habitats/biodiversity and public health). The solutions you ultimately identify may not address all of your focus areas, but they could each serve as a base for solution stacking. Conversely, you may discover hidden interconnections that could be leveraged to develop more comprehensive solutions for your community.

If you already have a specific solution in mind (e.g. a community microgrid or a community resilience hub), you may not need to identify additional focus areas. On the other hand, if it is too difficult to hone in on your focus areas at this stage, you can build a broader solutions menu and follow the guidance provided in Section 9 to prioritize your solutions.

A few key sections to revisit in your CNA to identify focus areas include the following:

Focus Area #1
Focus Area #2
Focus Area #3

E.g. Extreme Heat

E.g. Transportation

E.g. Jobs

Note: the focus areas you identify do not need to be in order of priority at this stage. You may also decide to identify more than 3 areas to focus on; however, this could make the following steps more challenging.

9. Solution Prioritization

Now that you have a menu of potential solutions, this section will guide you through different processes for narrowing your menu down from potentials to priorities. The ultimate goal of this section is to assist you in identifying and refining one priority solution to focus on in Section 10 where you will develop your Solution Game Plan. You’ll walk away with a clearer understanding of how your priority solution fits within your ecosystem and the broader policy and funding environment, as well as how you can shape your solution to achieve multiple benefits.

Prioritization is an important step in your CNA development process to ensure that your implementation efforts are both strategic and sustainable. Strategic by focusing your efforts on the most impactful and feasible solution that has multiple levers available to support implementation, increasing the likelihood of achieving your intended outcomes. Sustainable by dedicating your available time, energy, and capacity to the solution you decide to prioritize rather than focusing on too many solutions at once, which can lead to frustration and burnout.

If you already identified your one priority solution, you can skip ahead to section 9.2. You may still find it helpful to scan through section 9.1 for helpful resources and guidance that may be of value to your partners, organization, or other efforts to prioritize solutions.

9.19.2

Identify your priority solution.

This first step in this process is to identify your single highest priority solution to focus your efforts on in the near-term. This CNA development process asks you to identify one solution to further explore since, as a community leader, you are likely involved in many other initiatives that need to be sustained and other issues facing your community may arise that demand your attention. Identifying one solution can help you remain responsive to community needs while protecting your own time and capacity. When you are ready to launch additional initiatives, step 9.2 and section 10 of the CNA Toolkit can guide you through the process of refining your solution and developing a clear, actionable game plan.

Process Instructions: Whether your menu includes 5 or 20 potential solutions, the guidance provided in this section aims to help you identify the single most desirable, feasible, and viable solution to pursue.

  • A set of filtering questions are offered to help you narrow in on your priority solution.
    • In short, if the answer to the question is “yes,” the solution stays in the running
    • If the answer is “no,” the solution is removed from the list. In some instances, there are sub-questions posed for “no” answers as some solutions are much more nuanced and complex where a simple yes/no answer would not suffice.
  • The simplest way to follow this exercise can be by printing your solutions menu and crossing off options as you work through the questions. You can also follow this approach digitally: copy your solutions menu onto another document and use the delete function.
  • You can choose to go question-by-question or solution-by-solution.
    • Question-by-question: Review your solutions menu with consideration to the first question, crossing off solutions along the way that do not meet the condition. Repeat this process for each question.
    • Solution-by-solution: Focus on the first solution in your menu and run through the list of questions in order; when a condition is not met, cross the solution off your list and move to the next one. Repeat this process for each solution.
  • Consider consulting your peers and partners to get their input as you narrow in on your top priority solution.

Filtering Questions: The following filtering questions considers three key lenses – desirability, feasibility, and viability, in that order. Together, these make up a value-centered design approach, which ultimately aims to intentionally design solutions to address community needs, leverage your unique strengths, and contribute to a larger vision that can be sustained over time.

Review your potential solutions with consideration to the following questions to narrow your menu of potentials to priorities.

Desirability: Solutions that address community needs and improve community wellbeing.

  1. Does it align with your community’s self-identified values and priorities?
  2. Does it address your community’s needs, whether they be immediate needs and/or the root causes of racial, social, health, and environmental inequities?
  3. Does it prepare your community for the impacts of climate change and/or address the sources or impacts of pollution?

Feasibility: Solutions that build upon your current operational capabilities and strengths.

  1. Does it align with your organization’s mission and existing capabilities?
    • If not, are there opportunities to build organizational capacity or form partnerships to make the solution feasible?
  2. Does your organization’s leadership and staff support the solution?
    • If not, do you see potential pathways for increasing their buy-in and support?
  3. Is it technically feasible and supported by science and research?
    • If not, are you aware of any pilot projects in other communities that demonstrate feasibility?

Viability: Solutions that are sustainable and can produce lasting results.

  1. Are there funding opportunities available to implement the solution?
    • If not, do you see pathways for creatively acquiring the resources needed to support your solution?
  2. Is it aligned with State and local policy priorities?
    • If not, are there opportunities for advocacy to create a more supportive policy environment?
  3. Do you have allies who can help to implement and sustain the solution?
    • If not, are there new partnerships that could be formed?

After reviewing your solutions menu with these filtering questions, you should have a shorter list of potential solutions that pass the desirability, feasibility, and viability criteria. If you are having difficulty identifying your single priority solution, consider the following next steps:

  • Consult your colleagues, partners, and/or community members to gauge their level of interest in each of the remaining solutions.
  • Consider the urgency of each solution based on climate change projections.
  • Use a ranking system to reconsider the filtering questions for each solution. For example, you could use a numbered 1-5 rating system for each of the nine questions, with 1 meaning low and 5 meaning high, and select the solution that receives the highest total score.

10. Solution Game Plan

The Solution Game Plan, as the final section of your CNA, is the culmination of all previous sections and will result in a clear, actionable game plan for your priority solution. The guidance offered in this section aims to help you refine your solution and identify concrete steps to catalyze your efforts, build network capacity, and mobilize partners to work towards your shared vision for social equity and climate resilience.

Earlier sections of the CNA Toolkit focused on deepening your understanding of your community, as well as expanding your awareness of the broader ecosystem. You should now have a much more comprehensive view of your community’s assets and priorities, the inequities and climate impacts they face, and partnerships that could be formed to meet their needs. This broadened view may reveal previously hidden connections and opportunities that can be leveraged to maximize your impact and create lasting change. However, we recognize that it can also feel overwhelming since information overload can lead to decision paralysis.

It is important to recognize that a single solution cannot address all community priorities, all climate impacts, and all systemic issues at the same time. Trying to do too much at once can exacerbate existing capacity constraints, confuse community members and partners, and make it difficult to build the momentum necessary for implementation. Rather than fixating on what your priority solution does not address, consider how the process of prioritization enables you to focus your attention, energy, and resources on the solution at hand, increasing the likelihood of achieving the desired outcome. This section offers guidance to help you do just that – keeping your priority solution in focus as you navigate through the game planning process.

The completion of this section will also help to reveal areas in which technical assistance can be strategically leveraged to create the right conditions for success and to support implementation.

10.110.210.3

Refine your priority solution to consider multiple benefits.

First, describe your priority solution to ensure it remains in clear view.

Priority Solution

What:

What is your solution? For example: community resilience center, youth development program, community microgrid, bus shelter, climate equity advocacy coalition, community garden.

Where:

Where will your solution be implemented?

Who:

Who does your solution serve?

Why:

Why is this solution needed? What is the primary purpose of your solution?

How:

How will this solution be implemented? Will it involve, for example, research, advocacy, education, planning, communication campaigns, construction, or equipment purchases?

Next, consider the benefits that your solution will provide once implemented. Some benefits may be more obvious, particularly those directly related to the primary purpose of your solution. Others may not be immediately visible; by looking at your solution through different lenses, you will likely reveal the multiple benefits of your priority solution.

Note: The term “co-benefits” is typically defined as the positive benefits related specifically to the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. For example, “health co-benefits” would be the positive benefits for public health as a result of reducing GHG emissions. Solutions that are not primarily focused on reducing GHGs and produce additional benefits are often referred to as “multi-benefit solutions.”

Identifying the full breadth of benefits that your solution can provide can help to unlock additional funding opportunities. For example, the multiple benefits of urban forestry could make these types of solutions eligible for funding focused on:

  • Active transportation (shade trees for sidewalks and bike lanes can make walking, biking, and other modes of active transportation more enjoyable and safe);
  • Energy efficiency (shade trees for buildings, particularly homes in lower-income neighborhoods, and reducing energy consumption for air conditioning);
  • GHG emissions reduction (carbon sequestration);
  • Public health (air quality improvements);
  • Public safety (tree-lined streets can promote traffic calming and reduced speeds);
  • Economy revitalization (tree-lined streets can increase foot traffic and local commerce);
  • Water management (trees reduce stormwater runoff and promote soil permeability to facilitate groundwater recharge).

By reframing your solution to focus on the benefits that are most relevant to the funding opportunity at hand, you can access additional funding sources without compromising your vision. The table below offers a set of categories and potential benefits that your solution may provide. As you use these lenses to further explore your solution, keep the following in mind:

  • Your solution should not provide benefits for all (or even a quarter) of the categories listed in the table. Focus on the benefits that are clearly linked to your solution.
  • Some categories overlap with others and your response may be the same. In these instances, simply duplicate the description of benefits your solution provides.
  • As you work through this table, you may identify opportunities to modify or refine your solution to produce additional benefits. In these instances, flag these ideas in a different color to review after you complete the exercise as some modifications may be beneficial while others may detract from your vision or create additional barriers to implementation.

A few sample benefits for an urban forestry project are provided in the table below as examples.

Equity
Benefits

Access to Resources:

Activism & Civic Engagement:

By directly engaging community members in tree planting efforts, urban forestry can provide avenues for greater levels of activism.

Addressing Trauma & Healing:

Anti-Displacement:

Community Building & Empowerment:

Community members will be mobilized to work together, determine tree planting sites, and lead neighborhood greening efforts.

Diversity & Inclusion:

Economic Empowerment:

Just Transition:

Leadership Development:

Training will be provided for tree ambassador positions.

Multicultural Competency:

The program will be conducted in multiple languages and tree planting activities will take into account participants’ work and family schedules.

Restorative Justice:

Other (please specify):

Climate Impacts
Benefits

Drought:

Trees increase groundwater recharge to support times of drought. Additionally, drought-tolerant native tree species will be planted

Extreme Heat:

Trees will provide shade and cool surrounding areas.

Flooding:

Trees reduce flood risk by slowing the rate of water flows and increasing ground surface permeability.

Sea Level Rise & Coastal Degradation:

Wildfires:

Other (please specify):

Sector
Benefits

Agriculture & Food Systems:

Air Quality:

Trees improve air quality by intercepting small particles (e.g. dust, ash, pollen, and smoke) and absorbing gaseous air pollutants.

Arts & Culture:

Biodiversity & Habitat:

Native tree species will be selected to serve as habitats for local fauna.

Cultural & Historic Preservation:

Economy:

Tree-lined streets have proven to increase foot traffic and local commerce.

Emergency Management:

Energy:

Trees can shade buildings and reduce energy consumption for air conditioning and other cooling measures that require energy.

Parks & Recreation:

Public Health:

Public health will improve by improving air quality and encouraging more physical activity.

Transportation:

Waste:

Water Quality & Supply:

Trees increase ground surface permeability and support groundwater recharge.

Other (please specify):

State Policy Priority
Benefits

Affordable Housing:

Building Decarbonization:

Conservation of Natural & Working Lands:

COVID Response & Recovery:

Healthy Soils:

Trees have beneficial effects on soil by increasing soil nutrient uptake, reducing organic losses and erosion, and improving soil physical properties, including water-holding capacity.

High Road Economic Development:

Reduction of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions:

Trees sequester GHG emissions.

Reduction of Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT):

Shade trees for sidewalks and bike lanes can make walking, biking, and other active transportation modes more enjoyable and safe, thereby reducing VMT.

Transportation Electrification:

Workforce Development:

Other (please specify):

Helpful Resources:

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