Mayor Freddie O'Connell announced today that Bloomberg Philanthropies has selected Nashville to join Bloomberg American Sustainable Cities (BASC). Nashville is one of 25 cities chosen for the three-year initiative. BASC is designed to leverage historic levels of federal funding to incubate and implement transformative local solutions to build sustainable, resilient, and economically thriving communities.
Building on the longtime leadership of U.S. cities to confront the overlapping crises of climate change and racial wealth inequity, the initiative will allow the Mayor's Office and Bloomberg's local innovation team to work more closely with frequently underfunded communities to give them the opportunity to build a healthier, more sustainable, and more equitable future.
By participating in BASC, Nashville will receive a three-member innovation team with expertise in data analysis, human-centered design, systems thinking, and project management. This team will be active for three years to help the city drive progress on climate mitigation and equitable outcomes. The innovation team will also work with community-based organizations to build capacity and mobilize public, private, and philanthropic investments.
"This is about building a better future together. We're excited to dream and act to build healthier, wealthier communities," Mayor Freddie O'Connell said. "We'll be deeply engaging with communities across Nashville that have had chronic underinvestment, helping them shape their own futures to make them more affordable, healthier, and sustainable."
With over $400 billion in federal funding available to local governments through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act, BASC aims to help cities access and implement the historic funding for critical local climate projects, especially in disadvantaged communities historically overburdened by longstanding inequities.
Nashville proposed in its grant application to develop and implement a residential clean energy initiative that also trains and upskills Nashville's Black communities for jobs and business ownership in the clean energy workforce. Further, the innovation team will help Nashville engage communities not to simply give input on projects but rather to have a stake in design processes.
The city anticipates deploying this workforce and these businesses to reduce energy burden among renters and homeowners in the North Nashville, Bordeaux, and Southeast Nashville communities.
"We have work to do to position historically marginalized communities for long-term, sustainable, economic advancement, and Nashville's participation in the Bloomberg Philanthropies' American Sustainable Cities initiative will help advance this important work," said Dr. Isaac Addae, the Small and Minority Business Liaison in the Mayor's Office.
The Director of Sustainability and Resiliency in the Mayor's Office, Kendra Abkowitz added, "We're excited to work together to identify innovative solutions to increase racial equity and reduce the energy burden on communities across Davidson County that have been disproportionately impacted by climate change. Given the recent weather-related disasters in Middle Tennessee and the upcoming release of our city's Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan, the timing couldn't be better for this effort."
Communities of color are disproportionately experiencing the impacts of climate change, magnifying longstanding historic inequities. For example, Black, Hispanic, and Native American households spend 20 to 45 percent more of their income on energy costs in comparison to white non-Hispanic households. Additionally, the Black Wealth Data Center shows that in Southeastern U.S. counties with Black and Hispanic populations of over 30 percent, those households have heightened exposure and risk to natural hazards – emphasizing their increased vulnerability to the impacts of climate change.
Work is already underway including recruitment and hiring of an I-team Director and Civic Designer (interested applicants can apply at these links) for the embedded innovation teams in each city. The three-member innovation team will work closely with the Mayor's Office staff and community partners.