2017 Urbanism Summit 4B | Climate & Resiliency: Local Perspectives for a Global Challenge

Climate & Resiliency:Local Perspectives for a Global Challenge

2017 CNU NE SummitBringing New Urbanism to Scale

March 31, 2017

WHO WE ARE:

Jonathan Ford, PE – moderator Horsley Witten Group

Senior Project Manager – Community Design

Stephanie Zurek, AIAUnion Studio

Associate

Leah BambergerCity of Providence

Director of Sustainability

Anne Tate, AIARhode Island School of Design

Professor of Architecture

ecoRI News & NOAA Technical Report NOS CO-OPS 083, January, 2017

New York Times, March 21, 2017 & Yale Program on Climate Communication

CLIMATE AND RESILIENCY: LOCAL INSIGHTS FOR A GLOBAL CHALLENGE

Starting the conversation: a case study from Newport, RI

Photo: Caroline Goddard


Photo: onne van der wal


Howe, P., Mildenberger, M., Marlon, J., & Leiserowitz, A. (2015) “Geographic variation in opinions on climate change at state and local scales in the USA,” Nature Climate Change. DOI: 10.1038/nclimate2583.

http://climatecommunication.yale.edu/visualizations-data/ycom-us-2016/

http://www.nature.com/nclimate/index.html

http://climatecommunication.yale.edu/visualizations-data/ycom-us-2016/


• What are current environmental conditions?

• What are environmental projections?

• Where are the social, economic, environmental and infrastructure vulnerabilities?

• What are the options – short-term, medium-term and long-term?

• How do we effectively weigh those options?

• What resources are available and how should they be allocated?

• Who decides?

• Changes will affect communities – very personal and emotional decision-making process

In communities across the country, we have large, sticky conversations ahead of us:


74 Bridge Street Case Study

The Point, Newport, RI

The Point

Downtown Newport


• Current environmental conditions:


The Point

CLIMATE AND RESILIENCY: LOCAL INSIGHTS FOR A GLOBAL CHALLENGECLIMATE AND RESILIENCY: LOCAL INSIGHTS FOR A GLOBAL CHALLENGE

Affected areas of projected sea level rise: 1’, 3’, 5’ - Newport, RI

Rendering: Markley Boyer

• Environmental projections:The Point


• Social, economic, environmental and infrastructure vulnerabilities?

Social: homes, livelihoods, cultural heritage

Environmental: Changes in local species and habitats

Economic: Flood insurance, loss of tax base

Infrastructure: Stormwater system, Tide gates


• What are the options?

Sea level rise Stormwater

Design Guidelines


• How do we effectively weigh the options?


City

Resid

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Engi

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Historic


• What resources are available and how should they be allocated?


• Who decides?

Photo: F. Mullin


Unlike infrastructure and planning efforts that we have seen in the past, this is not a singular policy decision. It must involve everyone – at the national, state and local level; but, most importantly citizens must get on board with:

• Understanding climate change basic facts/science

• Understanding local implications of climate change (flooding, sea level rise, increased temperatures, etc)

• Problem-solving efforts

• Empower communities with knowledge and decision-making tools

Photo: C. Goddard

Mayor Jorge O. ElorzaLeah Bamberger, Director of Sustainability

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Sustainable Providence

2014

Waste

Energy

Food

Water

Transportation

Land Use & Development

84%

1% 5%

1%6%

1% 2% 1%

White

White | Two or more races

Two or more races

Black or African American | American Indianand Alaska Native

Black or African American

Asian | Two or more races

Asian

American Indian and Alaska Native | Two ormore races

ResilientPVD Lab - Race Demographics

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ResilientPVD Lab Recommendations

• Establish a people of color led community Advisory Committee

• Implement a Race and Social Justice screen

• Develop an Equitable Engagement Checklist

• Fund Community organizations to lead engagement processes

Meanwhile…

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Update sustainability plan with racial equity

lens

Get community’s recommendations for a

process to incorporate racial equity

Co-create a community-driven process

Build stronger relationships

Equity in Sustainability Initiative

Racial & Environmental Justice Committee Tasks

• Identify key concerns, issues and needs of the community

• Base-building• Provide

recommendations for a long-term process and structure

Racial and Environmental Justice Committee Members

• 10 community members– 2 Southside

– 1 West End– 1 North End– Racial justice– Environmental justice– Indigenous– Low-income– Refugee/Immigrant – Education/Youth

• 5 municipal representatives – Sustainability– Mayor’s Office / Policy– Community Development– Healthy Communities – Arts, Culture, & Tourism

Challenges and Lessons Learned

• “Change happens at the pace of trust”

• “Control is the opposite of trust”

• Inside/outside strategy

• Stay focused on long-term goals

• Value of a third party consultant

• Language, cultural, and economic barriers persist

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Early Impacts and Results• High interest in this work

• New partnerships and connections

• Approach grant applications and program and policy development differently

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What’s Next?• Continue to build

relationships between the City and community

• Initiate larger process to amend current sustainability plan to include racial equity lens

• Begin implementation of REJC recommendations

• Continue to support base-building and community organizing

• Transfer lessons learned from this initiative across City departments

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Thank You!

[email protected]

SustainPVD.org

Facebook.com/SustainPVD

Twitter.com/Sustain_PVD

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mailto:[email protected]

Contact Us

Jonathan Ford, PE Anne Tate, [email protected] [email protected]

Leah Bamberger Stephanie Zurek, [email protected] [email protected]

COURAGEOUS COMMUNITIES

Jonathan Ford, PE

Horsley Witten Group

Dover, New Hampshire

INUNDATION HT + 2’ SLR + 100-Year EventSVR Design

Bath, Maine AIA DART

SVR Design

Bath, Maine AIA DART

FRAMEWORK

RESILIENCY GreenBath

• Build Greenways:

Work with water – weave green/blue fingers into downtown

• Allow migration:

Plan new wetland migration zones for SLR, shoreline retreat

• Treat runoff:

Green Infrastructure to naturally filter runoff

•Harden edge:

Elevate buildings & armor edge for storm surge

Image: Kevin Robert Perry

SVR DesignMike Davis, FAIA, Bergmeyer

Mike Davis, FAIA, Bergmeyer

2017 Urbanism Summit 4B | Climate & Resiliency: Local Perspectives for a Global Challenge

Presentations & Public Speaking

Transcript of 2017 Urbanism Summit 4B | Climate & Resiliency: Local Perspectives for a Global Challenge