Abstract

Environmental justice (EJ) principles are essential for addressing inequities in transportation and hazard preparedness; however, they are often applied in a fragmented manner. Historically, urban planning in the United States has created racial and economic divisions, particularly through policies like redlining and freeway construction that displaced communities of color. These practices have systematically and disproportionately exposed marginalized groups to environmental harms. The EJ movement has advocated for addressing these disparities through equity-focused policies. However, the integration of EJ principles into plans remains incomplete, with prior studies focusing on individual plans or jurisdictions, failing to consider broader governance systems and the need for equity to bridge multiple plan types. These challenges are compounded by the shift from centralized to decentralized governance, creating a fragmented landscape where different levels of government and departments operate with distinct priorities. Multi-level governance (MLG) creates both opportunities and challenges for equity-centered planning. While it enables state funding, regional planning, and local implementation to align, fragmented jurisdictions often leave transportation, hazard, and climate plans in silos. Intentional coordination is needed to embed EJ principles across all levels of planning. This analysis focuses on Los Angeles due to its overlapping jurisdictions, large transit system, and history of environmental injustice making it a critical test case for how MLG can both enable and constrain equity-centered planning. This policy brief is based on our evaluation of 16 climate action, racial equity, transportation, and hazard preparedness plans in Greater Los Angeles, which was systematically scored based on three existing EJ pillars: Recognition Justice, Procedural Justice, and Distributive Justice