Fayetteville Climate Action Plan receives bi-state honor

Sept. 25, 2025

Fayetteville Climate Action Plan receives bi-state honor

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Earlier this month, the City of Fayetteville's Climate Action Plan (CAP) won the Plan of the Year award during the American Planning Association (APA) Missouri-Arkansas Bi-State Conference.

The event was held in St. Louis on Sept. 16. Jessie Masters, planning director for Development Services, accepted the award on behalf of the City.

In 2024, the City adopted the plan, an expansion of its Energy Action Plan that was adopted in 2018. The CAP expanded the vision of the original plan by developing and adopting nature-based solutions goals, strategies and actions that build community resilience to mitigate the most negative impacts from climate change.

Locally, climate change is most visibly manifesting itself through increasingly frequent extreme weather events. How we address this crisis will impact current and future generations' economic prospects and quality of life.

The CAP's goal is to inform future policies, programs and actions undertaken by the City - actionable policies, programs and projects. It is grounded through science-based targets designed to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

To view the City's plan and learn more about the project, go to: www.fayetteville-ar.gov/climate.

In its selection of the CAP for Plan of the Year, the award jury said, "The plan showcases a comprehensive and thorough approach to resilience, utilizing an intersectional strategy that addresses climate change adaptation at multiple scales - from the regional all the way to the scale of the block."

Evaluation criteria for the award include:

• Community involvement: The project should demonstrate meaningful engagement with the local community throughout the planning process.
• Innovative approaches: The project should utilize innovative and creative planning strategies to address challenges and opportunities.
• Implementation success: The project should showcase successful implementation, resulting in tangible positive outcomes for the community.
• Sustainability: The project should incorporate sustainable practices and consider long-term environmental and economic impacts.
• Positive change: The project should have brought about positive change in terms of urban design, infrastructure, social cohesion or economic development.

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Media Contact:
Gracie Ziegler
Chief Communications Officer
City of Fayetteville, Arkansas
479-575-8303
[email protected]