Beginning with Indigenous Peoples’ Day and closing with the end of Hispanic Heritage Month, this week marks a time to not only recognize, but honor, New Jersey’s diverse communities. While New Jersey Future looks ahead toward a more resilient and equitable tomorrow, we also look to the past—to a rich history of cultural contributions and legacies upon which we may build. Before New Jersey Future, “smart growth,” and the state’s foundation, itself, the Lenni-Lenape protected and cultivated the natural environment we New Jerseyans still benefit from today. We forget or ignore these many lessons at our own peril.

Indigenous communities and people of color continue to disproportionately experience exposure to environmental hazards. The tireless efforts and innovative solutions of advocates across the state, however, promise relief and recovery. This month, we discuss the electrification of the most unlikely of vehicles, which represents an important first step on the road to environmental justice for overburdened communities.

Indeed, many of the communities that contribute significantly to the state’s diversity and economy are also the communities most at risk from the effects of pollution and climate change. Thus, while participating in cultural celebrations like Hispanic Heritage Month, we must also plan, build, and communicate with the needs and interests of communities of color in mind, especially as New Jersey continues to become more diverse.

Between 2010 and 2020, the state’s Latinx population increased in all 21 counties and outpaced New Jersey’s overall population growth rate by more than five times. Check out our blog post to learn more about the growth of New Jersey’s Latinx population and the importance of Hispanic Heritage Month in the Garden State.

Peter Kasabach

Executive Director

“Electric Yard Goats” may sound like the name of a band (or a baseball team), but they actually represent an important step in New Jersey’s effort to adopt electric vehicles as a means of reducing the transportation sector’s carbon footprint. Furthermore, they can help steer the air-quality and health benefits of vehicle electrification toward communities that have historically suffered the most from pollution generated by gasoline- and diesel-powered vehicles and by the state’s many polluting land uses.

Municipalities are on the front line of climate change land use planning. They have the power and responsibility to understand their climate change risks and plan to address them. It's also now the law. In February of this year, Governor Murphy approved legislative changes to the Municipal Land Use Law that require towns to incorporate a climate change-related hazard vulnerability assessment into any subsequent master plan land use element. The NJ Office of Planning Advocacy developed a simple guidance document to help municipal leaders understand the requirement and the process. The Municipal Climate Resilience Planning Guide provides an excellent entry point for public members and officials looking to understand the new requirement and how to meet it. The guide makes reference to the informative NJ Department of Environmental Protection Resilient NJ: Local Planning for Climate Change Toolkit.

Smart Growth is equitable growth. It is also restorative, as smart growth and redevelopment can help correct systemic racial and economic disparities. As New Jersey Future drives land use decision-making toward more equitable outcomes, we will be sharing useful resources and lessons in this monthly spotlight. Please give us your feedback and share with us any particularly insightful articles, talks, events, or videos that you come across.

Indigenous peoples play a major role in protecting biodiversity, prioritizing environmental resilience, and leading climate solutions. With rich local knowledge, they deeply understand the history of land use and how it has transformed our natural environments and intensified the effects of climate change. However, Indigenous peoples have been limited in their ability to impact climate policy. “Climate justice” explains how those who tend to suffer the greatest negative impacts are often least responsible for climate change, which applies to Indigenous peoples. This blog post explains how Indigenous peoples must lead climate change strategies to best benefit the social, economic, and environmental well-being of our communities for a safe and healthy future.

New Jersey Future has prepared Creating Places To Age: A Community Guide to Implementing Aging-Friendly Land Use Decisions to provide communities with a step-by-step process to make designing for the needs of older residents easier.

The New Jersey Stormwater Utility Resource Center is a one-stop shop housing technical, legal, and financial information, case studies, and helpful guidance on stormwater solutions, community process, and public engagement.

The Developers Green Infrastructure Guide 2.0 breaks down New Jersey’s Stormwater Rule amendments and helps developers and decision-makers more clearly understand green infrastructure options and advantages, compare alternatives, and evaluate costs and benefits.