In 2018, SPARCC shared its Rapid Climate Vulnerability Assessment (RCVA): A New Way to Measure Vulnerability. In partnership with SPARCC and EcoAdapt, we are excited to share an updated RCVA guide, a simple, four-step process designed to evaluate community vulnerability to climate change while collaboratively finding solutions. >> Download RCVA: single page format and spread […]

Released June 4, 2020 We are grieving the senseless murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, and the uncountable more who have lost their lives to white supremacy. We acknowledge that systemic racism is deeply rooted in the history of this country and that white supremacy manifests itself every day in the […]

SPARCC’s second Virtual Learning Conversation: Engaging for Equity in a World of COVID-19 included over 175 participants from Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Memphis. It brought together local and national advocates, planners, policymakers, and development partners working to advance radically re-imagined community engagement practices that government can utilize and […]

With the ravages of COVID-19 illuminating disparities in racial equity, health, and environmental conditions, we must reiterate a fundamental principle from the last three years of SPARCC work:Community-driven development rooted in multi-sector collaboration must be at the core of supporting equitable, healthy, and resilient communities. COVID-19 is affecting low income and families of color disproportionately, […]

Quick Navigation to Categories: Impacts from COVID-19 and the accompanying economic strain will have far-reaching effects on our communities, especially those that have historically suffered disproportionately from under-investment and neglect. As communities across the country come together to respond, the local and national partners at the Strong, Prosperous, and Resilient Communities Challenge are taking action […]

By Marissa Ramirez The past five years have been the warmest ever recorded on record globally, and spring flooding, hurricane and wildfire seasons are once again upon us, with summer months and their expected warmer-than-average heat not far behind. Between hurricanes in the southeast and wildfires in California, over 1.2 million people were displaced by […]

Click here to download the full report. Click here to download the executive summary. Since its formation in 2017, the Strong, Prosperous, and Resilient Communities Challenge (SPARCC) has had an exacting goal – help shift decades of racially discriminatory policies and investments that have resulted in harmful disparities in health and climate resilience in communities […]

  Proposed changes to federal regulations in community development and lending are an assault on decades of work in fighting the impacts of racial segregation, discriminatory and race-based investment practices, increased risks from pollution and climate change, and unchecked government power in approving projects. The threats are real and they are coming fast. Related Content: […]

Proposed changes to AFFH, NEPA, and CRA taken together compound the many racial, environmental, health, and economic injustices faced in housing and community development. National and local partners in the SPARCC network have shared how these proposed changes might negatively impact their communities if implemented. Related Content: Regressive Federal Rules Would Set Back Decades of […]

We’ve compiled a few resources from across the country that help explain what each of the proposed rules mean and how it could impact communities. Please see below for deadlines and templates to support drafting your own comments. Related Content: Regressive Federal Rules Would Set Back Decades of Progress in Housing and Community Development Perspectives […]