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Net-zero action planning focused on process and implementation, MAPC says
Summary
MAPC presenters laid out typical net-zero planning steps—goal-setting, inventory and audit, community engagement, strategy prioritization and implementation blueprints—using Malden as a detailed example and urging ongoing tracking and practical implementation.
Julian Asser, senior climate energy planner at the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), told attendees that the core value of a net-zero action plan is the planning process: bringing municipal leaders and community partners together to set shared goals and prioritize implementable strategies.
"The biggest value of a net zero plan isn't the plan itself, but it's actually the planning process and getting all of these different municipal leaders, department heads, community partners together in a room and discussing the shared common goal," Asser said.
Using Malden as a case study, Asser described a multi-year process that typically begins with project setup (a resident steering committee and a municipal sustainability working group), moves through assessments (a greenhouse-gas inventory and a climate/energy audit), produces a long list of candidate strategies, and ends with prioritized implementation blueprints. He said municipal operations often make up less than 5% of total community emissions, so community-wide strategies are usually the primary focus.
Asser listed typical contents of an implementation blueprint: an action description, links to existing policies, the municipal lead responsible for execution, partner organizations, target start dates, step-by-step tasks, equity considerations, required resources and possible funding sources. He also recommended including KPIs to track progress and described several prioritization criteria—emissions reduction potential, cost, technical feasibility, equity and cobenefits like local jobs or improved air quality.
On engagement, Asser described Malden’s resident steering committee (seven residents representing six languages) and focused outreach to community-based organizations such as the Chinese Cultural Connection and the Immigrant Learning Center. Malden conducted focus groups, surveys and public meetings, and Asser said the city would publish its first progress report following the plan’s September 2024 launch.
Asser closed by suggesting communities consider whether scarce staff time and funding are best spent repeating a full planning process or instead prioritizing implementation campaigns that accelerate high-impact strategies. He pointed attendees to MAPC’s net-zero playbook, which organizes top strategies by sector, and paused for a question-and-answer period.
