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2020 has been A YEAR, but that's no reason not to toast to all that US cities have done to combat climate change. Cities faced unprecedented challenges, but I forgot how much good stuff the accomplished, too! 
Celebrate, draw inspiration, and tell me what I've missed! (1/x)
Celebrate, draw inspiration, and tell me what I've missed! (1/x)
They partnered strategically: @RideSacRT teamed up with @ridewithvia to offer microtransit for last-mile transit connections. Gaps in last-mile connections derail a connected and equitable transit system. (2x) https://twitter.com/RideSacRT/status/1216777489143468033
They aimed high: More than two dozen Utah municipalities have pledged 100% renewable power by 2030 (with @SLCgreen @slcgov eyeing 2023!). (3/x) https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2020/01/13/least-utah-cities/
They LED on lighting GHG reductions (terrible pun fully intended): @CityofPhoenixAZ switched out its street bulbs for LEDs, saving major GHGs and money in the process. (4/x) https://twitter.com/MayorGallego/status/1217096424342470656
They pulled the alarm 
: @louisvillemayor declared a climate emergency and signaled that the local electric utilityâs efforts werenât going to get the city to 80x50. (5/x) https://insideclimatenews.org/news/27012020/louisville-lge-southeast-carbon-emissions-climate-change/
: @louisvillemayor declared a climate emergency and signaled that the local electric utilityâs efforts werenât going to get the city to 80x50. (5/x) https://insideclimatenews.org/news/27012020/louisville-lge-southeast-carbon-emissions-climate-change/
They closed (or opened!) streets: So this is a complicated one. Some big-name streets, like SFâs Market Street, closed to car traffic pre-pandemic, as part of long-term efforts to reduce traffic GHGs, improve transit and make streets less dangerous. (6/x) https://twitter.com/jeffreytumlin/status/1222560120212557825
⊠Once the pandemic hit, the need to reclaim streets from cars was even more acute. @GreenworksPhila moved early, closing MLK Drive to cars and opening it up to bikers and walkers, both for transportation and recreation. (7/x) https://twitter.com/bcgp/status/1241166213771857920
⊠@Oakland upped the ante, announcing a plan to close 74 miles of city streets to cars â thatâs 10% of the cityâs roads! (8/x) https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/74-miles-of-Oakland-streets-will-close-to-cars-to-15191559.php
⊠and @SeattleOSE made those street closures permanent right from the start. (Apologies to the many, many cities who âopenedâ streets in 2020 â I canât name you all in 280 characters!) (9/x) https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/seattle-will-permanently-close-20-miles-of-residential-streets-to-most-vehicle-traffic/
They electrified fleets: cities have significant ability to transition to EVs by using their market power. LA's @LACitySAN committed to all electric procurement in the next couple of years, with a full transition by 2025. (10/x) https://www.wastedive.com/news/los-angeles-sanitation-truck-fleet-100-percent-electric/571166/
They protected kids, and fed the grid: school districts in Virginia signed up to work with Dominion to deploy electric school buses that would provide surplus power to the grid (V2G technology) when not in use. (11/x) https://www.axios.com/electric-school-buses-vehicle-to-grid-power-19f7b6b1-662b-4501-a96e-dcf3fd57a886.html
They found funds for transit: in Cincinnati, voters approved a county-wide sales tax to fund better bus service â longer routes, more frequent service, and future Bus Rapid Transit. (12/x) https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2020/05/14/cincinnati-metro-sales-tax-levy-wins-ohio-primary-election/5182020002/
⊠sales and property taxes for transit also passed in Seattle and Austin, respectively. (13/x) https://www.wri.org/blog/2020/11/us-ballots-energy-transition?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=wrienergy&utm_campaign=socialmedia&utm_term=7447e680-8183-4a99-9736-944d7484e53e
They adapted: city sustainability staff found themselves with tasks they never imagined. @ICLEI_USA documented these experiences in Orlando, Miami & Santa Cruz. Loved @cityofoberlin working with students to research & write new local envtâl laws. (14/x) https://icleiusa.org/pressing-forward-local-governments-advance-climate-and-sustainability-amid-global-health-crisis/
They tackled buildings: @STLCityGov adopted a building performance standard â the first in the Midwest and only the 4th in the country (after NYC, DC & Wash. State). The law requires buildings over 50K square feet to achieve energy saving targets. (15/x) https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/news/st-louis-building-efficiency-standards-first-Midwest-city/577657/
They paid for efficiency: @SEACityLight began a pilot to enter PPAs with large comm'l bldgs to pay for efficiency improvements. âEEaSâ could help overcome the split incentive problem that prevents landlords & tenants from pursuing energy imprvmnts. (16/x) https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/news/st-louis-building-efficiency-standards-first-Midwest-city/577657/
They named the problem: @CambMA passed a nation-leading fuel pump warning label requirement -- basically cigarette-style warning label that discloses the environmental & climate harms of gasoline and diesel. (17/x) http://cambridgema.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=15&ID=2150&Inline=True
They stopped playing: @nyclimate issued an EO declaring that NYC âwill not support the addition of infrastructure w/in its energy shed that expands the supply of FFs via pipelines or terminals or via the construction of new FF elec gen capacity.â (18/x) https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/home/downloads/pdf/executive-orders/2020/eo-52.pdf
They looked at construction: @LACity became the 1st US city to require agencies to consider CO2 intensity of building materials. Bldg materials are hugely carbon intensive, and policies to address âembodied carbonâ are lacking at all levels of gov. (19/x) https://www.nrdc.org/experts/maria-stamas/angeles-city-owned-buildings-go-100-carbon-free
They electrified: cities in CA â starting with Berkeley â began âbanningâ natural gas hookups to new buildings in 2019. In February, the California Energy Commission began approving the all-electric construction codes that effectively banned gas. (20/x) https://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/California-approves-natural-gas-limits-on-new-15071665.php
⊠some movement on the east coast too, with @Burlington_VTâs creative proposed version, which contemplates a policy under which new buildings either build all-electric or pay upfront $100/ton of carbon emitted for the building's first 10 years. (21/x) https://vtdigger.org/2020/10/19/looking-towards-a-net-zero-future-burlington-considers-requiring-all-electric-buildings/
⊠And Seattle joined the movement as well! (22/x) https://twitter.com/MayorJenny/status/1334583351013908480
The banned fossil fuels altogether: @TakomaParkMD got right to the point â fossil fuels have got to go. While details remain to be ironed out, Takoma Parkâs ambition underscores how dire our dependence on fossil fuels is. (23/x) https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/takoma-park-fossil-fuel-ban/2020/02/20/307f7c44-5341-11ea-929a-64efa7482a77_story.html
They went fare-free: when KCMO, eliminated 
fares last year, it was novel. This year, cities around the US suspended bus fares during the pandemic to let riders board in the back. Many have reinstated fares, but I hope this trend continues in 2021. (24/x) https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-19/some-transit-agencies-cut-fares-as-ridership-drops
fares last year, it was novel. This year, cities around the US suspended bus fares during the pandemic to let riders board in the back. Many have reinstated fares, but I hope this trend continues in 2021. (24/x) https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-19/some-transit-agencies-cut-fares-as-ridership-drops
(⊠LAâs plans signal that it might!) (25/x) https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-09-01/l-a-s-metro-flirts-with-fare-free-public-transit?cmpid=BBD090420_CITYLABMP&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_term=200904&utm_campaign=citylabmostpop
They redefined essential: when cities considered which businesses were so âessentialâ they had to remain open despite broad economic shutdowns, auto shops made the cut. @GreenworksPhila was early to recognize the critical nature of bike shops too. (26/x) https://bicyclecoalition.org/breaking-bike-shops-in-philly-are-now-considered-essential-businesses/
They pushed back on rollbacks: when the Trump admin repealed the Clean Power Plan (among other envtl regs), cities stepped up to fight for strong federal climate policy. In April, a coalition of local govs filed an amicus brief in support of the CPP. (27/x) https://twitter.com/ColumbiaClimate/status/1253710071944695808
They took the streets: itâs so small, in the grand scheme, but @MayorBowser led the charge in affirming Black lives through one significant area of city control: the streets. There can be no climate justice without racial justice. (28/x) https://twitter.com/MayorBowser/status/1269048690678870016
They fought back against misinformation: Washington, DC @AGKarlRacine became the next city to take oil & gas companies to court to account for climate impacts. And the first to assert claims relating to deceptive practices. (29/x) https://twitter.com/AGKarlRacine/status/1276169356326600705
⊠and, pushing boundaries to the South, Charleston, SC also filed a suit against the O&G majors for flooding impacts. (30/x) https://www.postandcourier.com/news/charleston-sues-big-oil-for-flooding-caused-by-global-warming/article_a97f761c-f297-11ea-b9b6-07c93643bc83.html
They navigated preemption: this one isnât strictly climate-related, but it has big implications for city-climate action. The covid-19 pandemic tuned us all into the interplay between city & state authority. @KeishaBottoms stood up for mask mandates. (31/x) https://twitter.com/KeishaBottoms/status/1283891470190206987
They used their power: @bouldercolorado and Xcel reached an agreement to partner on electricity decarb, becoming the latest in a short but mighty list of cities (Mpls, SLC) to leverage franchise & municipalization authority to get an IOU to go green. (32/x) https://boulderbeat.news/2020/08/01/xcel-boulder-settlement-whats-in-it/
They infilled: Portland, OR passed major zoning reforms allowing infill development nearly anywhere in the city and scaling down parking requirements. Simple but mighty land use reforms available to cities all over the US. (33/x) https://portlandneighborswelcome.org/residential-infill-project-passed-today
They educated: for the online quiz fanatics among, us, I present @sfctaâs digital game that allows you to design your own congestion pricing program. (34/x) https://www.sfcta.org/fogcity
They 
for the 
: this is for the advocates. Residents of Roxbury, in Boston, protested the removal of mature trees from their streets. Street trees are vital to mitigating urban heat - I hope to hear the phrase âtree equityâ much more in 2021. (35/x) https://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2020/09/16/stories/1063713865
for the : this is for the advocates. Residents of Roxbury, in Boston, protested the removal of mature trees from their streets. Street trees are vital to mitigating urban heat - I hope to hear the phrase âtree equityâ much more in 2021. (35/x) https://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2020/09/16/stories/1063713865
They planned for climate migration: Buffalo's @MayorByronBrown sounded the alarm on the need for federal funding for infrastructure. Buffalo could be a future home to many seeking refuge from climate impacts elsewhere. (36/x) https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-10-05/-climate-haven-cities-face-new-covid-challenges?srnd=citylab
They PACEd: PACE financing, which allows building owners to finance energy improvements with low-interest rates repayable over time on property tax bills, isnât new. But itâs great to see this simple tool expanding. (37/x) https://twitter.com/BostonEnviro/status/1314222857233354753
They pooled resources: Columbus, Ohio voted to power itself with 100% clean energy in just the next three years! An all-green, opt-out CCA via AEP electric. (38/x) https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/politics/government/2020/11/03/election-results-columbus-issue-1-green-energy-electricity-plan/6085061002/
They home ruled: @TownofBrookline filed a home rule petition asking the state to pass its natural gas ban as a Brookline-only state law. Kind of wonky, but this petition is the result of mega-advocacy. (39/x) https://www.eenews.net/stories/1063720135
They stopped drilling! @LACityCouncil moved towards phasing out oil drilling city-wide, a HUGE win for advocates, who deserve so much applause for their years-long efforts. (40/x) https://twitter.com/STAND_LA/status/1333939287604117505
They looked towards recovery: while the pandemic isnât over, relief is in sight. Many mayors are already looking toward their citiesâ recoveries. Hereâs to rebuilding âa more inclusive and more sustainable economy and society.â (41/x) https://insideclimatenews.org/news/09092020/city-mayor-stimulus-coronavirus-climate-change/
When I sit down to start these year-end roundups, I think it'll be a short task and I'll be on my way. Let me tell you, they take hours. And that's a very, very good thing. 2020 was not a year of focused climate action. But cities still accomplished so much. (42/x)
I look forward to another year of city-climate leadership, and to all that I get to learn from studying your amazing ideas, advocacy and policy. Cheers 
to my city sustainability pals and to the advocate friends that teach me so much. And Happy New Year! (43/fin)
to my city sustainability pals and to the advocate friends that teach me so much. And Happy New Year! (43/fin)
