Achieving a Lasting Future through Successful Government and Community Relations
By: Milo Trauss
Tags: Sustainable Development, Community Engagement, Racial Justice, Social Justice, Decarbonization

GCA Strategies has been in the business of government and community affairs for more than 30 years. We’ve been on the forefront of battling NIMBYs for housing approvals in urban areas before opponents were called NIMBYs. We recognize what is smart land use and what is a productive proposal. We do this by considering the impacts it will have on existing communities and the reverberating effects for generations to come.

In 2021 we at GCA Strategies see a fresh chapter and an abundance of opportunity. Even as the world continues to battle COVID-19, there are glimmers of a better future over the horizon — but it will take work. We are excited to focus on the following trends to build a better future together:

Equitable Economic Decarbonization — Many policy organizations are producing reports and recommendations on how to decarbonize the economy by addressing policy from local city-level decisions to the national and international levels. Recommendations range from unsexy prescriptions like rebates for electric heat pump water heaters to “reach codes” mandating electrification requirements for new construction. GCA Strategies helps articulate these policies and goals in a way that makes them easy for the public to understand and support.

Continuing the charge for better land use — We are excited to see the swell of cities enacting higher density residential zoning laws materializing into a wave. Single family zoning has been a scourge on the American landscape since it was invented in Berkeley CA over 100 years ago. It has been a mechanism for driving racial and social inequality as well as environmental and personal health degradation. Starting with Minneapolis, and with Portland, Sacramento and Berkeley following suit, cities are gradually reversing course by rezoning former single-family-only areas to permit duplexes, triplexes or quadplexes. While these gains are modest, they set the stage for walkable, bikeable and busable communities that are more racially and economically integrated and less energy intensive. GCA Strategies is proud to help advance individual housing proposals as well as new policies for more just housing outcomes like these.

Innovative Financing — Just as the invention of the modern mortgage played a key role in lifting the global economy out of the great depression nearly 100 years ago, the world is in need of financial reimagining to help turn the corner towards greater equality and lower carbon emissions. While some innovations are relatively simple, such as property assessed clean energy (PACE) financing instruments for commercial building electrification, others will require reconceiving the concepts of “value creation” vs “value extraction.” Again, these policy changes reflect deep-rooted value systems that will take new communication and workshopping approaches to articulate and implement. GCA Strategies is energized to be developing workshop techniques to lead this charge.

If you are facing these obstacles or are excited to help overcome them, we are looking forward to joining forces with you and achieving a future that will last. Please visit our website at gcastrategies.com for more information or reach out to us at hello@gcastrategies.com.