COMMUNITY TO COMMUNITY: POLICY EQUITY FOR ALL
Dr. Joan Fitzgerald
Building a Green New Deal in Boston and Meeting the Climate Equity Challenge through Researching Successful Workforce Development Models
C2C Policy Fellow Dr. Joan Fitzgerald, professor of urban and public policy at Northeastern University – and the Green New Deal lead researcher with the City of Boston – was not always focused on climate policy. Since earning her Ph.D. in Community Systems Planning and Development at Pennsylvania State University, Dr. Fitzgerald studied workforce and urban development. Inspired by the renewed national focus on vocational and continuing education in the 1990s, she investigated models for creating upward mobility for working class communities. Her book Economic Revitalization: Cases and Strategies for Cities and Suburbs (Sage, 2002) asks readers to consider what if the top priority of urban economic development was social equity and economic sustainability. This was the culmination of critiques of economic development practice in the United States. Dr. Fitzgerald then researched the lack of support and opportunities for low wage workers in the U.S. to access career ladders, culminating in her 2006 book Moving Up in the New Economy (Cornell University Press).
After years of promoting solutions to policy makers, Dr. Fitzgerald moved away from this area of research discouraged, having seen first-hand how difficult it is for entry-level employees to advance in their careers without funding for the essential wrap-round support needed for success. She saw potential, however, in successful models such as District 1199c in Philadelphia where an affiliate of the National Union of Hospital and Health Care Employees “created a real support community among the cohorts” and elevated its members by connecting them with necessary resources. She determined that continued research focused on expanding workforce development outcomes would not be productive without the political will to prioritize significant investments in holistic training models which included providing reliable housing, childcare, healthcare, transportation, and other services.
Read more about Dr. Fitzgerald’s work here.
In 2006, Dr. Fitzgerald shifted her focus to address the implications of global warming while studying cities throughout Europe that were successfully integrating climate-focused models into urban planning. Her background in workforce development remained s the foundation of her research and culminated in the 2010 book Emerald Cities: Linking Sustainability and Economic Development (Oxford University Press, 2010). The book examines how cities can advance economic opportunities in green industries. In the decade after, Dr. Fitzgerald dug further into the impact cities might make in addressing climate change. Her 2020 book Greenovation (Oxford University Press) was informed by her scholarship in workforce development and shines a light on our urban climate justice movements that are battling social and income inequality.
Continuing to explore climate equity in her forthcoming book with Tufts professor Julian Agyeman, Cities in the Struggle for Climate Justice, the authors focus on the racial inequities embedded in the history of city planning. In their work, the authors celebrate current projects focused on developing new green infrastructure and job programs in frontline communities. They emphasize that addressing past harms is essential to ensure sustainable and equitable urbanization in the face of climate change.
This past spring, Dr. Fitzgerald was appointed a C2C Policy Fellow to research current best practices across four cities to create meaningful career pathways into the green economy for those left out of the pollution-based economy. In a highly competitive process, she was also awarded a research grant with the City of Boston to assess how the city should develop its workforce to meet the objectives of the Green New Deal. As the principal investigator, she is working alongside Greg King, Managing Director of TSK Energy Solutions, Dr. Alicia Modestino, Executive Director of C2C Impact Engine, and The Burning Glass Institute. The team will include two co-op students from Madison Park Technical Vocational High School in Roxbury assisting on the project. They are investigating how the city should transform its education system to connect individuals with green jobs and empower neighborhoods through business ownership. C2C is hopeful that this research will be shared and utilized by other cities.
Throughout her career, Dr. Fitzgerald has interacted with communities in cities around the world, researching and writing about their diverse approaches to the changing global economy. What she looks forward to in her project with the City of Boston is the opportunity to learn from the communities most impacted and show best practices for linking young people in frontline communities to jobs in the green economy that pay decent wages and have advancement potential. She reflects on the days earlier in her career, working in neighborhoods in Chicago. It is one thing to conduct research, she describes, but another to “actually see students succeed in these programs… go to their graduation…and obtain meaningful employment.” For Dr. Fitzgerald, long-term reciprocal partnerships between communities and researchers are a crucial part of developing job-training programs that meet the needs of a green economy and promote social equity in our cities. As she continues to engage in transformative projects with C2C, we are grateful for her wisdom, contribution, and steadfast commitment to social and economic equality.
Click here to return to our full December 2023 newsletter!