Just urban greening for climate adaptation & health equity planning: Lessons learned from 5 cities in the Global North

Despite planners' claims of positive health impacts from climate action, practical implementation of climate-adaptive planning is not understood as planning for health. Exploring the relationship between urban greening, climate adaptation, and health equity planning, we take a critical lens to climate plans and public health plans from five cities at the forefront of greening for climate adaptation. We propose a fine-grained analytical framework for urban health equity practices by adding ‘foundational’ justice (epistemic, testimonial, hermeneutical) to Schlosberg's traditional justice framework (recognitional, distributive, procedural). Our analysis revealed three main patterns within greening initiatives for climate: Neglecting; Omitting; and Aspiring. Neglecting cities (Amsterdam/Bristol) did not focus their climate or health plans on justice concepts. They described specialized governance without intersectional approaches. Omitting cities (Montréal/Toulouse) lightly applied equity terms with interest in just outcomes. However, their strategies omitted how their policies might support historically marginalized groups. Aspiring cities (Portland) incorporated justice concepts into their planning and sought partnerships from various sectors/experiences. Aspiring cities demonstrated an attempt to redress health inequities by targeting pathways of socio-structural disparities. How these cities integrated traditional justice concepts in their plans revealed that the ‘foundational’ justice dimensions are necessary to engage with and apply ‘traditional’ justice concepts. © 2024