As cities across the country invest billions of dollars in clean energy and climate infrastructure, a critical question remains largely unanswered: Are these investments working for the people who live closest to these projects? 

Researchers from the University of Michigan and Michigan State University received a $1 million grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to launch a first-of-its-kind research initiative to examine how cities can reduce carbon emissions through clean energy investments, while ensuring the communities where these projects are built have a voice in the process and share their benefits.

As cities make major investments in clean energy, understanding who benefits — and who has a say in those decisions — could help communities make the most of the transition while reducing emissions.

The three-year research project, “Decarbonizing the Hood: Conditions, Perceptions, Principles and Evaluation of Equitable Urban Energy Transitions,” brings together researchers, students and community partners to study six urban decarbonization initiatives across Detroit, Chicago and Columbus.

The initiative is led by principal investigator Tony Reames, Tishman Professor of Environmental Justice and director of the School for Environment and Sustainability, or SEAS, Detroit Sustainability Clinic and Urban Energy Justice Lab, and co-principal investigator Meghan Wilson, assistant professor of American politics and public policy at Michigan State University’s Department of Political Science. 

“This project gives us a unique opportunity to understand how residents participate in planning processes, how benefits and burdens are distributed, and how local governance shapes project outcomes,” Reames said. “Those insights will help us better understand what it takes to advance energy transitions that are not only effective but also equitable.”

Research into action

The research project will examine a range of neighborhood-scale decarbonization strategies, which refers to reducing greenhouse gas emissions that result from human activity, across the three cities. 

• In Detroit, the study will focus on neighborhood-scale solar developments, including the city of Detroit’s Solar Neighborhoods Initiative and the O’Shea Solar Park project. 
• In Chicago, researchers will examine the Bronzeville’s Community Microgrid alongside the West Woodlawn geothermal development. 
• In Columbus, the team will study neighborhood energy efficiency retrofits in the Linden neighborhood and the American Addition net-zero energy neighborhood project. 

Comparing these projects will enable researchers to understand what different approaches to urban clean energy development mean for the communities experiencing them, including who has a voice in the process, who benefits and what factors shape the projects’ outcomes.

“We are looking at how the implementation of advanced energy infrastructure such as the microgrid and geothermal are received by residents in the neighborhoods,” Wilson said. “Our team will investigate community perceptions of the energy infrastructure as well as the economic impact of sustainable energy infrastructures.” 

Supporting student researchers

The project also includes a structured research training program that will prepare the next generation of energy justice researchers through hands-on experience conducting community-engaged research. Each year, graduate students from U-M and MSU will receive specialized training in energy justice while leading qualitative research and mentoring undergraduate researchers.

Additionally, the initiative will support annual summer research fellowships for several historically Black college and university, or HBCU, undergraduate students, expanding opportunities for emerging scholars while helping address the underrepresentation of Black researchers in energy scholarship. Fellows will present their research at an annual symposium attended by community partners, utility representatives and policymakers. Together, these efforts will help ensure the research team reflects the communities it is studying and that the project’s findings are informed by lived experience alongside technical expertise.

“This project puts residents’ experiences at the center of how we define success. What sets it apart is that we are not just measuring outcomes, we are centering the people living through and shaping these transitions with partners like Blacks in Green, the City of Detroit, IMPACT Community Action and American Addition,” said Wilson.

Findings from the project will be shared with policymakers, practitioners, community organizations and researchers through publications, presentations and other outreach efforts throughout the three-year initiative.

The University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) Detroit Sustainability Clinic is an innovative hub of faculty, students and visionaries, working alongside local government, community-based organizations and Detroit community leaders to solve Detroit’s most pressing sustainability-related challenges. We place community needs at the forefront, realizing that positive and lasting change can only be created through deep listening, collaboration, and trust. We leverage SEAS’ mission to create real impact, aiming to improve the ability of the City of Detroit and nonprofits serving the city to address climate change impacts while providing students with real-world experiences and hands-on training.