Rutgers.edu  |  New Brunswick  |  RBHS  |  Newark  |  Camden | Online  |  Rutgers Health  |  Rutgers Search

Resources & Tools

Local government agencies working together to address environmental health

Local governments in New Jersey have broad authorities to advance efforts that address local conditions that may affect health.  “Social determinants of health are the conditions and environments where people are live which affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality of life, outcomes and risks.  Social determinants of health can be grouped into five domains:

  • economic stability,
  • education access and quality,
  • health care access and quality,
  • social and community context, and
  • neighborhood and built environment.”

Environmental and neighborhood conditions directly affect health status and play a major role in quality of life, years of healthy life lived, and health disparities. Safe air, land, and water are fundamental to a healthy community environment as is access to nutritious food, outdoor spaces to recreate, and an environment free of hazards.

Examples of roles and responsibilities of municipal governments in New Jersey that can contribute to efforts to promote and improve environmental health include:

  • Municipal governance pursuant to the New Jersey Municipal Land Use Law (N.J.S.A. 40:55D-1) which grants towns the authority to adopt a master plan that sets land use priorities and to enact zoning ordinances that dictate where and in what form development should happen, all with the purpose of protecting the health, safety, and welfare of residents.
  • Establishment of an Environmental Commission (N.J.S.A. 40:56A-1) which are authorized to advise local governing bodies on environmental issues, research local environmental issues to support local governance, inform local governing bodies’ decisions on proposals for development, develop and maintain an inventory of environmental resources and environmentally sensitive assets, educate and inform residents, among other responsibilities.
  • Minimum practice standards and capabilities of a municipal Board of Health which is responsible for ensuring the delivery of specific requirements as outlined in New Jersey Department of Health rules (N.J.A.C. 8:52). Increasingly, the practice of local public health nationally is evolving to a framework of Public Health 3.0 in which public health officials work collaboratively with community partners and local officials in other sectors to advance collective impact focused on social determinants of health.
  • Voluntary participation in Sustainable JerseyTM which is a nonprofit organization that establishes voluntary actions for adoption by municipalities to promote local sustainability. Managed by municipal level Green teams with participation in 458 of New Jersey’s 565 municipalities, Sustainable Jersey outlines discrete actions for municipalities to voluntarily take in order to gain points.  With regard to environmental health, Sustainable Jersey currently has actions in categories including Brownfields redevelopment, waste management, Green Design, Land Use and Transportation and Sustainability and Climate Planning.

Focus groups conducted by the New Jersey Departments of Environmental Protection and Health with local planners, health officials and environmental commissioners in support of New Jersey’s participation in the National Environmental Public Health Tracking (EPHT) Program, point to the strong commitment of local officials to use their authorities, roles and responsibilities to address environmental conditions in their communities that may affect health.  Local officials indicated a need for technical assistance and easy access to local environmental and health data to support their efforts to address environmental conditions that may affect health.

Through its participation in the national EPHT, New Jersey DEP and DOH are assembling municipal-level data pertaining to environmental health that can assist local governments, including health, planning and environmental agencies and “Green Teams,” with integrating consideration of environmental health more systematically into planning healthy communities. Across the United States as well as in New Jersey, there are replicable examples of how local health, planning and environmental agencies are using EPHT and other environmental health data to plan for environmentally healthy communities. 

In New Jersey, the Municipal Land Use Law requires municipalities to adopt and periodically reexamine is comprehensive Master Plan to support its zoning ordinances. Members of the public and other local agencies have opportunities to provide input to the master planning process.

• King County, WA
Integration of environmental health into VISION2040 planning process
Go to document →

• Austin, TX
Integration of health into park planning
Go to document →

• Phoenix, AZ
Incorporation of health and environmental components in 2018 General Plan
Go to document →

• Jersey City, NJ
Inclusion of pollution and other environmental health factors in an Environmental Resource Inventory adopted as part of a municipal master plan
Go to document →

• Newark, NJ
Adoption of an Environmental Resource Inventory focused on building a baseline connecting public health to the environment, land use, and neighborhood quality of life
Go to document →

 

In New Jersey, local Boards of Health and Environmental Commissions are authorized to review development applications and advise Planning Boards, Boards of Adjustment and local governing bodies on potential health implications. Examples of where local agencies have established data-driven systems to consider health outcomes of development include:

• San Francisco, CA
Healthy Development Measurement Tool
Go to document →

• Bay Area, CA
Community use of mapping tool to identify where transportation projects should require mitigation measures
Go to document →

• San Francisco, CA
Establishment of “conditional use” permits with requirements for specific provisions for power plants in zoned industrial districts
Go to document →

• Newark, NJ
Adoption of an Environmental Justice and Cumulative Impacts Ordinance that requires developers to identify any environmental impacts from their projects
Go to document →

• Camden, NJ
Adoption of Ordinance Adopting Sustainability Requirements that requires developers to generate an Environmental Impacts and Benefits Assessment
Go to document →

In New Jersey, municipalities have broad authority to assess impacts of local land use decisions on community assets; current authority allows opportunity for greater integration of consideration of environmental health outcomes of local land use decisions.  Examples of where impacts of local land use on health were considered include:

• Oklahoma City, OK
Use of Health Impact Assessment to examine various potential planning scenarios
Go to document → 

• Baltimore, MD
Use of Health Impact Assessment to evaluate health impacts of revision to the city’s comprehensive zoning code
Go to document →

• Boston, MA

Use of Health Impact Assessment to set priorities for funding transit oriented development
Go to document → 

• Minneapolis MN
Use of Health Impact Assessment to inform reexamination of city master plan
Go to document →

• Florence, NJ
Adoption of an ordinance requiring applicants for a major site plan and/or a major subdivision to prepare an environmental impact statement to protect public health, safety, and welfare. Statements must be forwarded to the Environmental Commission.
Go to document →

• New York, NY
2017 law requiring study of zoning impacts on health in Environmental Justice communities
Go to document → 

Use of environmental health data can facilitate community-engaged efforts to improve health outcomes through addressing environmental challenges in a community. New Jersey has some of the most comprehensive sets of data on municipal level health and environmental factors that can support local efforts to engage residents in addressing environmental determinants on health outcomes. Examples of where communities have used data to inform residents involvement in local planning to improve environmental health include: • Clearwater, FL Redevelopment of a Brownfields site to a community health center Go to document →
In New Jersey zoning ordinances serve to implement the vision outlined in the municipal master plan. Zoning can set minimum separation distances for specific uses or create buffer zonings to serve as a transition between incompatible land uses, such as residential and industrial uses. Buffers may include transitional uses, vegetative and/or other types of screening. Zoning can also establish the requirement for conditional use permits that allow land uses that may have potential environmental or health impacts when certain requirements are met. Zoning can also prohibit certain uses in specified areas. Examples of zoning uses to address potential environmental exposures: • Los Angeles, CA Establishment of a Clean Up Green Up zoning overlay with requirements designed to reduce cumulative environmental exposures Go to document → • Minneapolis, MN Establishment of green zones to improve public health Go to document → • Baltimore, MD 2018 law banning crude oil terminals Go to document → • Rock County, WI Source trackdown to inform future land use planning Go to document → • San Francisco, CA Adoption of Ordinance 224-14 designed to protect the public health and welfare by establishing an Air Pollutant Exposure Zone and imposing an enhanced ventilation requirement for all urban infill development within the zone Go to document →
“Cleaning up and reinvesting in brownfields/land reuse properties improves and protects the environment, economy, and surrounding community’s health and well-being. However, not all plans for brownfields redevelopment and land reuse consider the community health issues that should be addressed. Furthermore, evaluations of improvements tend to focus on environmental and economic impacts and rarely include measurement of health and social improvements.” In New Jersey, financial incentives are available, such as funding from the Hazardous Site Discharge Site Remediation Fund, to support revitalization of Brownfields sites. Examples of where community health was a specific objective of a revitalization effort includes: • Kenosha, WI Redevelopment of the 29 acre “Brass” site into a mixed use and affordable housing neighborhood Go to document →

In New Jersey, local health agencies are required to “ provide a comprehensive health education and health promotion program which is developed and overseen by a health educator and provides integrated support to the daily operation of the local health agency” and environmental commissions are authorized to “inform residents on environmental matters and ways to help protect the environment.” Examples of where local agencies use EPHT and other environmental health data to educate and inform residents and well as engage residents in informing planning for healthy communities include:

• Vermont
Online blue green algae tracker
Go to document →

• California
PFAS Drinking Water Mapper
Go to document →

• Florida
Program on prevention of carbon monoxide poisoning
Go to document →

• Menasha, WI
Lead database
Go to document →

• Florida
PACE-EH program
Go to document →

• Participatory budgeting
Use of environmental health data to support participatory budgeting
Go to document →

• Imperial County, CA
Community air monitoring project
Go to document →

• Spartanburg, SC
Revitalization of industrialized neighborhood with health concerns
Go to document →

• Rhode Island
Community-driven health equity zone initiative
Go to document →

Meet the Climate Corps

Angel Alguera, Rutgers Climate CorpsAngel Alguera
I am a first-year Atmospheric Science master’s degree student in the Department of Environmental Sciences, and my work focuses on meteorology and applications of climate change resiliency. My professional interests include severe weather forecasting and community preparedness regarding weather-related disasters. I work with Dr. James Shope at the NJ Climate Change Resource Center to produce applied research and reports relevant to New Jersey stakeholders. I currently assist with climate change data analysis, large dataset management, and report writing.

Daniel GilkesonDaniel Gilkeson
I’m a second-year master’s student in the City and Regional Planning Program with a concentration in environmental planning. As a planner, I hope to build more resilient communities in the face of increased risk due to climate change. With the Climate Change Resource Center, I am working on a project to aid the state in an update of its floodplain buyout program, known as Blue Acres, to be more proactive and comprehensive. Prior to this position, I interned in the Community and Economic Development Office at the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Association. I’m also an AmeriCorps alum, having completed a year of service working on affordable housing in Nashville, Tennessee.

Benjamin GoldbergBenjamin Goldberg
I am a second-year Master of City and Regional Planning student concentrating in climate adaptation and resiliency planning, with experience in sustainable food systems. I joined the Climate Corps last summer to help develop a GIS-based food waste recovery tool, and currently support community resilience through flood vulnerability analysis. I hold a B.A. from Middlebury College and a Certificate in Ecological Horticulture from UC Santa Cruz.

Surya Jacob, Rutgers Climate CorpsSurya Jacob
I am a graduate student in the Master of City and Regional Planning program at the Bloustein School concentrating in community development, focused on housing, land and finance, as well as pursuing the Real Estate Development/Redevelopment Certification. Prior to Bloustein, I worked as an architect and interior designer in India and Canada and am pivoting towards a career in urban planning to engage in extensive projects at the macro level. My interests include affordable and mixed income housing, urban redevelopment, and housing finance, and I am deeply passionate about climate resilience in community planning. Being part of Climate Corps is a foundational step towards helping to solve equity issues in vulnerable communities along the coastal region.

Vineesh Das Kodakkandathil, RutgersVineesh Das Kodakkandathil
I am an urban planner with five years of professional experience in community-led ecotourism development and land use and environment management planning in ecologically sensitive areas. I have worked on and conducted extensive environmental sensitivity analyses, flood and landslide vulnerability assessments, and human impact assessments with the help of GIS tools. I’m currently pursuing my master’s in City and Regional Planning at Bloustein School with a concentration in Transport Planning and GIS.

Douglas LeungDouglas Leung
I am working with the Climate Change Resource Center to identify vulnerable communities and places affected by climate-induced flooding in coastal New Jersey municipalities. I am a Master of City and Regional Planning candidate at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University. As a planner, I want to develop strategies and solve problems affecting our cities and communities that enable more equitable outcomes in housing and transportation. I am also a recent Army veteran, having served as a company commander of recruiting in the northern suburbs of Chicago and as a reconnaissance platoon leader in the 10th Mountain Division. For fun, I enjoy weightlifting, running, reading fiction, and board games.

Nihar MhatreNihar Mhatre
I am a master’s candidate in city and regional planning at Rutgers University’s Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, focusing on urban design and land use planning. Before being accepted at Rutgers, I worked as an architect at JD Studio and had my own architectural practice, Vastu Insights. My research interests revolve around designing and developing climate change adaptation and resilience strategies to promote equity in urban landscapes. Having the opportunity to work on real-world projects through Climate Corps will be an essential step in the development of my understanding of addressing climate change issues in vulnerable regions.

Justin MorrisJustin Morris
Justin is a master’s student at Rutgers University studying discovery informatics and data sciences. He is working under Professor Mark Rodgers to develop an optimization model that will act as a decision support tool for university financial investments with the end goal of eliminating Rutgers’ scope 2 emissions. He is excited to apply his background in data analytics and mathematical programming to help the university fight climate change.

Josephine O'GradyJosephine O’Grady
I am a first-year student in the Master of Public Policy program. Through the Coastal Climate Risk and Resilience (C2R2) certification, I am focusing a significant portion of my graduate coursework on topics including coastal geomorphology, environmental justice, and hazard mitigation planning. Before beginning my studies at the Bloustein School, I received my bachelor’s degree in public health from Kean University, where I first became interested in how coastal dynamics shape lived experiences. I previously served as an intern at the New Jersey State Policy Lab and currently work for the Megalopolitan Coastal Transformation Hub (MACH) team.

Jessica Parineet Jessica Parineet
I am a first-year Master of Public Policy student at the Bloustein School with a strong interest in climate change policy and related topics. In my previous work, I gained experience in a number of dimensions of climate change issues through carbon capture storage research, urban heat island research, and community level engagement as I am currently on the Student Advisory Board for the Rutgers Office of Climate Action. I am excited to expand on my interests in environmental justice and local level resilience planning through my involvement in the Climate Corps.

Dillon Patel Dillan Patel
I am a second-year Master of City and Regional Planning student concentrating in Environmental Planning and International Development. I have previously worked as an economist performing cost-benefit analysis and conducting monitoring and evaluation for renewable energy in developing countries. I have also spent a summer in western Massachusetts mapping stormwater infrastructure and working with planners to identify suitable places for green stormwater infrastructure.

Moira Sweeder, Rutgers Climate CorpsMoira Sweeder
I am a graduate student enrolled in the Master of City and Regional Planning program at the Bloustein School. My concentration is environmental planning with a focus on coastal resilience. Before pursuing my master’s degree at Rutgers, I studied sustainability at Stockton University. During this time, I interned for the PSEG Institute of Sustainability Studies, the Jacques Cousteau National Estuary Research Reserve, and NJ Audubon. I am thrilled to now be a part of the Climate Corps, researching coastal resilience as a part of the Megalopolitan Coastal Transformation Hub (MACH) team.

Thanks. Your submission was sent successfully.