Community Leadership Paves the Way to Promising Erosion Treatment

The collaborative effort to combat severe coastal erosion along Willapa Bay in Washington State exemplifies a multifaceted approach to equity, encompassing procedural, distributional, structural, and cultural considerations. Led by a coalition of local groups, the project prioritized inclusivity, fairness, and respect for diverse perspectives at every stage of planning and implementation.

Procedural equity was guaranteed by actively engaging diverse stakeholders in decision-making ensuring all voices were heard and incorporated into resilience plans. The project advanced distributional equity by crafting solutions that benefited all stakeholders, ranging from safeguarding cranberry farms to enhancing safety for local businesses and health clinics, to preserving tribal habitat for subsistence shellfish harvesting. In doing so, the project also ensured fair distribution of resources and benefits while honoring the cultural diversity of the community. This commitment exemplifies cultural equity through the promotion of equitable multicultural norms, fostering inclusivity and a sense of belonging for all involved. By prioritizing procedural, distributional, and cultural equity, the project established structural equity, laying a foundation to rectify past injustices and prevent negative consequences in the future.