City of Spokane Climate Planning: Community Survey

Introduction

The City of Spokane is embarking on a transformative journey to address the pressing challenges posed by climate change. As part of this effort, the City of Spokane is undertaking a major update to its Comprehensive Plan, a foundational document guiding the city's growth and development. This update, mandated by the Washington State Growth Management Act and due in 2026, presents a unique opportunity to integrate climate considerations into every aspect of our city's future.

We want to hear from a broad range of residents, business owners, and people who work or go to school in the City of Spokane, to inform this effort. We also recognize the unique relationship that tribal nations maintain with the lands, water, and natural resources in the Spokane area. We value the perspectives of tribal members on climate resilience and stewardship and are committed to integrating this knowledge into our climate planning efforts.

The results of the survey will be summarized and published on our project website (Climate Planning - City of Spokane) where you can also find out more about the climate planning efforts and other opportunities to participate.

The survey should take approximately 10 minutes to complete. Your responses will be anonymous.

As a thank you for participating, all survey participants will be eligible for a raffle of ten $50 gift cards. The physical gift cards will be mailed to raffle winners.

Section 1: About You

We want to hear from people who live, work, go to school, or play in the City of Spokane. While you may have multiple roles in the community, please complete the survey as yourself and not as a representative of an organization.

Question Title

* 1. Tell us a bit about yourself. Which of the following best defines your roles in the City of Spokane? (Select all that apply)

Resident (homeowner)

Resident (renter)

Business owner

Commercial landowner

Residential property owner/housing provider/landlord

Employee/I work in Spokane

Elected official

Tribal member

Tribal elder

Student

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 2. Please tell us generally where you live in Spokane, by selecting the zip code of your home address. If you do not live in Spokane, please select the zip code of where you work, go to school, or otherwise engage in Spokane and explain briefly in the text box.

Other (please specify)

Section 2: Experience and Level of Concern

Please share with us your personal experience and level of concern with climate impacts in the City of Spokane.

Question Title

* 3. Have you been impacted by any of the following extreme weather and climate hazards in Spokane? Select all that apply. (Note: This question is focused on weather and climate impacts only. The following question asks about the health, economic, and other personal impacts to you.)

Drought

Extreme heat, including extended heat events and high summer temperatures

Intense storms, including heavy rain, wind, and/or snow

Reduced snow and snowpack

Water levels in the Spokane River and tributaries

Wildfire

Smoke from wildfires

Extreme cold, including extended freezing events and low winter temperatures

Loss of traditional foods or plants

Changes in access to culturally significant areas or resources

Other (please specify)

None of the above

Question Title

* 4. How have extreme weather and climate hazards affected you personally in the past five years? Select all that apply.

Physical health impacts (such as asthma, allergies, heat exhaustion)

Mental health impacts (such as anxiety, depression)

Changes to work/ employment/source of income

Changes to recreational activities

Cancelled events

Impacts to personal property

Impacts to community and neighborhood resources like streets, libraries, parks, and schools

Rising costs of living/basic needs like energy, food, fuel, and home or other insurance

Other (please specify)

None of the above

Question Title

* 5. As you look to the future (within the next 20 years), how concerned are you with the following extreme weather and climate impacts in the City of Spokane? Please indicate your level of concern per impact. 

	Extremely Concerned	Moderately Concerned	Slightly Concerned	Not at all Concerned
Drought	Drought Extremely Concerned	Drought Moderately Concerned	Drought Slightly Concerned	Drought Not at all Concerned
Extreme heat, including extended heat events and high summer temperatures	Extreme heat, including extended heat events and high summer temperatures Extremely Concerned	Extreme heat, including extended heat events and high summer temperatures Moderately Concerned	Extreme heat, including extended heat events and high summer temperatures Slightly Concerned	Extreme heat, including extended heat events and high summer temperatures Not at all Concerned
Intense storms, including heavy rain, wind, and/or snow	Intense storms, including heavy rain, wind, and/or snow Extremely Concerned	Intense storms, including heavy rain, wind, and/or snow Moderately Concerned	Intense storms, including heavy rain, wind, and/or snow Slightly Concerned	Intense storms, including heavy rain, wind, and/or snow Not at all Concerned
Flooding	Flooding Extremely Concerned	Flooding Moderately Concerned	Flooding Slightly Concerned	Flooding Not at all Concerned
Landslides	Landslides Extremely Concerned	Landslides Moderately Concerned	Landslides Slightly Concerned	Landslides Not at all Concerned
Reduced snow and snowpack	Reduced snow and snowpack Extremely Concerned	Reduced snow and snowpack Moderately Concerned	Reduced snow and snowpack Slightly Concerned	Reduced snow and snowpack Not at all Concerned
Wildfire	Wildfire Extremely Concerned	Wildfire Moderately Concerned	Wildfire Slightly Concerned	Wildfire Not at all Concerned
Water levels in the Spokane River and tributaries	Water levels in the Spokane River and tributaries Extremely Concerned	Water levels in the Spokane River and tributaries Moderately Concerned	Water levels in the Spokane River and tributaries Slightly Concerned	Water levels in the Spokane River and tributaries Not at all Concerned
Smoke from wildfires	Smoke from wildfires Extremely Concerned	Smoke from wildfires Moderately Concerned	Smoke from wildfires Slightly Concerned	Smoke from wildfires Not at all Concerned
Extreme cold, including extended freezing events and low winter temperatures	Extreme cold, including extended freezing events and low winter temperatures Extremely Concerned	Extreme cold, including extended freezing events and low winter temperatures Moderately Concerned	Extreme cold, including extended freezing events and low winter temperatures Slightly Concerned	Extreme cold, including extended freezing events and low winter temperatures Not at all Concerned
Loss of traditional foods or plants	Loss of traditional foods or plants Extremely Concerned	Loss of traditional foods or plants Moderately Concerned	Loss of traditional foods or plants Slightly Concerned	Loss of traditional foods or plants Not at all Concerned
Changes in access to culturally significant areas or resources	Changes in access to culturally significant areas or resources Extremely Concerned	Changes in access to culturally significant areas or resources Moderately Concerned	Changes in access to culturally significant areas or resources Slightly Concerned	Changes in access to culturally significant areas or resources Not at all Concerned

Question Title

* 6. Please share any personal stories about your experiences and concerns (or lack of) about extreme weather and climate impacts. This could include experiences working outside, costs of heating and cooling, impacts on cultural practices and traditional foods, or other ways your interact with climate.

Section 3: Impacts to Sectors and Communities

In this section, we want to understand your top concerns regarding specific extreme weather and climate impacts in specific sectors (or themes) as well as to different communities. The City of Spokane has limited resources and survey answers will help the City prioritize its climate planning efforts.

Question Title

* 7. Which sectors do you think are most at risk from extreme weather and climate impacts in Spokane? Rank in order of risk, with the 1 being most at risk and 11 being least at risk.

Question Title

* 8. Please provide comments on your concerns for the above sectors (or themes). Are there specific areas of Spokane you are concerned about? Are there specific community resources or infrastructure you are concerned about?

Question Title

* 9. Some individuals are more vulnerable, or are impacted first and worst, to extreme weather and climate impacts. Please indicate if you or your family members/friends are a member of the following communities (you can mark both if they both apply), which were identified in initial research as most vulnerable to climate hazards. If neither is the case, please select the option “I am not personally connected to this group of people.”

	I am included in this group of people	I have family members and/or friends that are included in this group of people	I am not personally connected to this group of people
Residents with low income (incomes at or below $36,800 for a single person, or at or below $52,550 for a family of four)	Residents with low income (incomes at or below $36,800 for a single person, or at or below $52,550 for a family of four) I am included in this group of people	Residents with low income (incomes at or below $36,800 for a single person, or at or below $52,550 for a family of four) I have family members and/or friends that are included in this group of people	Residents with low income (incomes at or below $36,800 for a single person, or at or below $52,550 for a family of four) I am not personally connected to this group of people
Residents that are houseless/homeless	Residents that are houseless/homeless I am included in this group of people	Residents that are houseless/homeless I have family members and/or friends that are included in this group of people	Residents that are houseless/homeless I am not personally connected to this group of people
Outdoors workers (such as agricultural, construction, seasonal tourism)	Outdoors workers (such as agricultural, construction, seasonal tourism) I am included in this group of people	Outdoors workers (such as agricultural, construction, seasonal tourism) I have family members and/or friends that are included in this group of people	Outdoors workers (such as agricultural, construction, seasonal tourism) I am not personally connected to this group of people
People with health conditions (such as asthma, heart disease, other)	People with health conditions (such as asthma, heart disease, other) I am included in this group of people	People with health conditions (such as asthma, heart disease, other) I have family members and/or friends that are included in this group of people	People with health conditions (such as asthma, heart disease, other) I am not personally connected to this group of people
People with disabilities (such as hearing, intellectual physical, mental, and vision)	People with disabilities (such as hearing, intellectual physical, mental, and vision) I am included in this group of people	People with disabilities (such as hearing, intellectual physical, mental, and vision) I have family members and/or friends that are included in this group of people	People with disabilities (such as hearing, intellectual physical, mental, and vision) I am not personally connected to this group of people

Section 4: Challenges and Opportunities for Action

We want to know about the barriers or challenges you face in responding to extreme weather and climate change. We also want to collect your innovative ideas for opportunities for the City of Spokane in its climate planning.

Question Title

* 10. Please describe any obstacles you face when trying to reduce your household's environmental impact (for example, through conserving outdoor water use or reducing household waste)?

Question Title

* 11. What kinds of climate solutions would you most like to see in Spokane? Is there anything else you would like us to consider for climate planning in Spokane?

Optional Demographics

The following questions are optional and anonymous. We ask them to understand who is participating in the survey, and who we may have missed.

Question Title

* 12. What is your age group? (Please select one)

Under 18

18-24

25-34

35-44

45-54

55-64

65-74

75 and older

Question Title

* 13. Do you have children under 18 in your immediate household?

Yes

Question Title

* 14. What is your race and ethnicity? (Select all that apply)

Native American, American Indian, or Alaska Native

Asian or Asian American

Black or African American

Hispanic, Latino, or Latina

Middle Eastern, North African, or Arab American

Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander

White or Caucasian

I prefer not to say

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 15. If you selected Native American, American Indian, or Alaska Native above, what is your tribal affiliation? Leave blank if not relevant.

Coeur d’Alene Tribe

Colville Tribe

Kalispel Tribe

Spokane Tribe

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 16. What is your approximate household income? (Please select one)

Less than $7,000

$7,000 to $14,000

$14,000 to $28,000

$28,000 to $56,000

$56,000 to $75,000

$75,000 to $100,00

$100,000 and over

I prefer not to say

Optional Contact Information and Raffle Eligibility

Your answers in this section will be separated from the rest of the survey, to ensure your answers are anonymous.

Question Title

* 17. Would you like to be more actively involved in climate planning and the development of policies and actions? Do you want to be personally invited to community workshops and listening sessions in 2025? If yes, provide your email address here:

Question Title

* 18. Would you like to be eligible for the raffle of ten $50 gift cards? If yes, provide your name and mailing address (cannot be a P.O. Box). We will mail gift cards to winners after the survey closes.

Want to stay engaged in the City's climate planning efforts?

• Check out the project website: Climate Planning - City of Spokane

• Participate in Engage Spokane, an online community space to offer input

• Join the PlanSpokane newsletter list the City’s Comprehensive Planning efforts

• Share the survey with your community! The survey will be open until January 31, 2025

City of Spokane Climate Planning: Community Survey

Introduction

Question Title

* 1. Tell us a bit about yourself. Which of the following best defines your roles in the City of Spokane? (Select all that apply)

Question Title

* 2. Please tell us generally where you live in Spokane, by selecting the zip code of your home address. If you do not live in Spokane, please select the zip code of where you work, go to school, or otherwise engage in Spokane and explain briefly in the text box.

Question Title

* 3. Have you been impacted by any of the following extreme weather and climate hazards in Spokane? Select all that apply. (Note: This question is focused on weather and climate impacts only. The following question asks about the health, economic, and other personal impacts to you.)

Question Title

* 4. How have extreme weather and climate hazards affected you personally in the past five years? Select all that apply.

Question Title

* 5. As you look to the future (within the next 20 years), how concerned are you with the following extreme weather and climate impacts in the City of Spokane? Please indicate your level of concern per impact.

Question Title

Question Title

* 7. Which sectors do you think are most at risk from extreme weather and climate impacts in Spokane? Rank in order of risk, with the 1 being most at risk and 11 being least at risk.

Question Title

* 8. Please provide comments on your concerns for the above sectors (or themes). Are there specific areas of Spokane you are concerned about? Are there specific community resources or infrastructure you are concerned about?

Question Title

Question Title

* 10. Please describe any obstacles you face when trying to reduce your household's environmental impact (for example, through conserving outdoor water use or reducing household waste)?

Question Title

* 11. What kinds of climate solutions would you most like to see in Spokane? Is there anything else you would like us to consider for climate planning in Spokane?

Question Title

* 12. What is your age group? (Please select one)

Question Title

* 13. Do you have children under 18 in your immediate household?

Question Title

* 14. What is your race and ethnicity? (Select all that apply)

Question Title

* 15. If you selected Native American, American Indian, or Alaska Native above, what is your tribal affiliation? Leave blank if not relevant.

Question Title

* 16. What is your approximate household income? (Please select one)

Question Title

* 17. Would you like to be more actively involved in climate planning and the development of policies and actions? Do you want to be personally invited to community workshops and listening sessions in 2025? If yes, provide your email address here:

Question Title

* 18. Would you like to be eligible for the raffle of ten $50 gift cards? If yes, provide your name and mailing address (cannot be a P.O. Box). We will mail gift cards to winners after the survey closes.

* 3. Have you been impacted by any of the following extreme weather and climate hazards in Spokane? Select all that apply. (Note: This question is focused on weather and climate impacts only. The following question asks about the health, economic, and other personal impacts to you.)

* 5. As you look to the future (within the next 20 years), how concerned are you with the following extreme weather and climate impacts in the City of Spokane? Please indicate your level of concern per impact. 