Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

The New Urban Agenda is firmly grounded in a broad definition of sustainability where economic, social, and environmental well-being are all critical components of sustainability. This broad based approach to sustainability demands innovative management that strategically considers co-benefits of any action. While the concept of cobenefits has been widely described in the literature, there has been less empirical testing focused on the extent to which local governments leverage cobenefits to increase sustainability overall. This paper explores the extent to which urban areas leverage cobenfits in the form of improved public health outcomes when investing in climate change mitigation. In particular, this paper examines if cities have developed climate action plans that identify greenhouse gas emissions as a goal. Comparing a group of cities that have developed climate action plans with those cities that have not developed climate action plans, this research examines if there are systematic differences in air quality emissions that are linked to poor respiratory health.