JOINT BENEFITS AUTHORITY: Integrated Public Investments for Livable Cities

The Joint Benefits Authority (JBA) is a collaborative tool designed for city agencies and local communities to jointly finance and deliver resilient, transformative infrastructure. By shifting away from a 'business-as-usual' approach where agencies work in silos, the JBA integrates capital planning and funding to scale natural infrastructure, enhance climate resilience, and advance social equity through direct community leadership in project implementation.

• The Joint Benefits Authority (JBA) addresses the limitations of traditional municipal infrastructure planning, where agencies typically issue separate bonds based on departmental missions, making joint projects difficult. The JBA provides a framework for advanced capital planning that aligns funding, community needs, and departmental priorities to increase investment efficiency and quantify undervalued "co-benefits."
• The JBA enables the delivery of multiple community benefits by scaling natural infrastructure. Beyond improving flood resilience and air and water quality, these projects can reduce the heat island effect, improve mental and physical wellbeing, promote habitat diversity, and beautify neighborhoods. An example provided is a community greenway that manages stormwater while improving pedestrian safety, providing shade for students, and offering environmental education.
• The JBA streamlines project delivery and governance by establishing a single project team for multi-agency efforts. This approach eliminates duplicative costs associated with planning, design, implementation, and monitoring. A JBA project manager coordinates efforts across city departments and partners to deliver integrated upgrades such as urban greening, transit improvements, and safer streets.
• The JBA introduces a cooperative municipal financing mechanism where city departments grant the authority the power to issue bonds. By anchoring projects with multiple agencies and securing strong community support, the JBA aims to attract new investments, including federal and state grants.
• To advance social equity, the JBA moves beyond traditional public feedback models by integrating community leadership, residents, and businesses directly into the project team. This allows the community to take an active role in decision-making, project implementation jobs, and long-term stewardship.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). JOINT BENEFITS AUTHORITY: Integrated Public Investments for Livable Cities. https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/uploads/joint-benefits-authority.pdf

Chicago

World Resources Institute. JOINT BENEFITS AUTHORITY: Integrated Public Investments for Livable Cities. n.d. https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/uploads/joint-benefits-authority.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=JOINT BENEFITS AUTHORITY: Integrated Public Investments for Livable Cities |url=https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/uploads/joint-benefits-authority.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendjoint, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{JOINT BENEFITS AUTHORITY: Integrated Public Investments for Livable Cities}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/uploads/joint-benefits-authority.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }