Action Plan

Together, we will create a more resilient future.

The development of the first sustainability and resilience action plan in Our City’s history brought together City departments, County agencies, community partners and residents to chart a course for a healthier and more equitable city that is better prepared for the challenges of the 21st century.


Residents from all corners of the city came together to build this plan. Now it is time to take action, to spread the word, and implement it. Scroll to learn more about the plan and how you can get involved.

Why the KLA Community Dashboard


The KLA Community Dashboard is an online tool for local governments to track climate and sustainability efforts and effectively engage the community in solutions. Watch a short overview of the key features that communities from Encinitas, CA, to San Antonio, TX, and Nashua, NH, use.

Most of our key features are on display here in this demo site for your to explore.

Our Goals

In March 2017, Mayor Joe pledged that Our City will achieve carbon neutrality by the year 2050. To make good on this commitment and in acknowledgment of the increases in average temperatures and extreme weather events that are putting our people and infrastructure at risk, the Our City launched the Climate Action Planning process.

This plan is the roadmap to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and ensures that all of is prepared for and resilient to the changes we are experiencing. The Office of Sustainability built a coalition to support and fund an integrated plan that was shaped by four core values and eight plan elements that cover all aspects of our community.

The result is a plan with 16 key objectives and 59 ambitious but achievable actions that, together, we will strive to accomplish by 2025.

Definitions

What is resilience and sustainability? We described the two terms as follows.

Our Action Plan

The first actionable plan of its kind in our city’s history, brings together city agencies, community partners and residents to chart a course for Our City that is equitable, healthier and prepared for the challenges of the 21st century. Our Plan is comprised of a diverse and comprehensive set of goals and corresponding actions. Dig into the details and status of the strategies below.

Action Plan Progress

We are making great progress on our action plan. This chart will show the overall status of how many actions have been started, completed, or are in the queue. Some actions take longer than others so just because we haven't completed the plan doesn't mean we haven't made great progress! You can see the many examples of how implementing these actions has improved our community in the Dashboard. 

Shocks and Stressors

Over the last century, we have experienced several shocks from floods to heat waves, each one presenting unique challenges to city services and residents. Our City, like all cities, also has existing challenges or stressors like poverty and poor air quality, that need to be addressed to ensure a more sustainable and resilient future for all. Our Plan has mapped out specific actions we can all take to start to address these chronic stressors that make us even more vulnerable to the shocks that come our way. 


To build a more sustainable and resilient community, we must not only address the direct impacts of climate change, but also look at those existing chronic stressors that limit the ability of some of our community members to enhance their personal resilience. These stressors include living at or below the federal poverty level, experiencing homelessness, living in a high crime neighborhood, being exposed to poor air quality and having limited transportation options. We also know that the people struggling with these chronic stressors are also going to be the ones most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change

Equitable Plan Development

Therefore, Our Plan was developed principally through an equitable engagement process. Our focus was to ensure all members of the community had a voice in plan development and, thus, the future of the place they call home. A concerted effort was made to engage those that have historically been underrepresented. The diversity of our community is a source of pride for Indianapolis. As we continue to strive for participation from everyone, it is important to acknowledge the inequities, disparities, and environmental injustices that some of our community members face from historical and systemic discrimination, exclusion, marginalization, exploitation, underrepresentation and disinvestment.

Decentralized Approach

The City set out to deliver an equitable planning process to ensure that all community members had a voice in the development of this plan, either directly or through organizations that represent them. We deployed a street team that worked on the ground to attend events and engage a diverse group of community members.

Holistic Approach

To build a more sustainable and resilient community, we must not only address the direct impacts of climate change, but also look at those existing chronic stressors that limit the ability of some of our community members to enhance their personal resilience. Therefore, Our Plan takes a holistic approach to addressing climate change through eight plan elements.

Take the Climate Action Pledge

Collective community action is how we will make progress on Our Plan. By signing the pledge, you are showing your fellow community members that your individual actions add up to make a lasting and impressive impact on our fight against climate change.