By 2035, meaningfully reduce environmental burdens confronting Greater Philadelphia communities as measured by an Environmental Burden Index.

All Philadelphian deserve to live in neighborhoods free from degraded air, water, and land.

The quality of life in many communities in the Philadelphia region is driven by the patterns of investment and disinvestment that reflect our nation’s history of racial discrimination. These patterns have resulted in many communities being disproportionately confronted with natural and built environments that are vulnerable and impoverished. A variety of mapping exercises have demonstrated the very specific ways in which environmental harms overlap and accumulate in these communities.

During our conversations with Philadelphia residents and stakeholders as part of our planning process, we regularly heard the desire for the Foundation to consider the totality of environmental conditions in neighborhoods, rather than just looking at individual factors. This objective seeks to consider multiple and overlapping variables that affect residents’ experiences in their environments.

In order to measure and monitor change in the cumulative and overlapping burdens borne by communities in Greater Philadelphia, we are exploring the development of an Environmental Burden Index.

If a suitable tool can be developed, we will support efforts to decrease those aggregate burdens, and we will use the tool to measure and monitor our progress. A final decision about an appropriate measurement tool will be made by the fall of 2025.