Resilient Cities

Assesses world-wide climate adaptation and resiliency.

Identifying risks associated with climate change and managing them to reduce their impacts is essential. This Workbook presents a guide to climate change adaptation planning based on EPA’s experience with watershed management, the National Estuary Program and the Climate Ready Estuaries program. The Workbook will assist organizations that manage environmental resources to prepare a broad, risk-based adaptation plan.

The Department of Defense (DoD) Climate Change Adaptation Roadmap (CCAR) fulfills a requirement of Executive Order 13514, Federal Leadership in nvironmenta
l, Energy and Economic Performance.

Demonstrating a commitment to lead by example, on October 5, 2009, President Obama signed Executive Order 13514. This EO signed in 2015 supersedes it.

Title 16 of the Federal Code covers conservation of natural resources, which is closely related to resilient cities.

This National Action Plan is based on the latest science on climate risks to freshwater resources and establishes the following national goal: Government agencies and citizens collaboratively manage freshwater resources in
response to a changing climate in order to ensure adequate water supplies, to safeguard human life, health and property, and to protect water quality and aquatic ecosystems.

Draws from a series of workshops with leading federal, state and local officials and builds upon lessons learned post-disaster in New Orleans (following Hurricane Katrina), New York (following Hurricane Sandy) and Vermont (after Hurricane Irene). The report identifies more than 30 federal programs, initiatives and laws that can be used to prepare for extreme events such as storms, floods and heat waves as well as rising seas. Published by the Georgetown Climate Center.

Green infrastructure captures, absorbs, and reduces runoff; filters stormwater; and delivers other environmental, social, and economic benefits. Investing in green infrastructure restores wildlife habitat and enhances natural systems while improving the health of residents through greater access to green space. It can improve community safety and provide economic stability by adding green local jobs, reducing infrastructure costs, and decreasing property damage from flooding.

Also includes links to the U.S. EPA agency-wide climate adaptation plan and other planning documents.

EPA's Water Infrastructure and Resiliency Finance Center will serve as a resource for communities, municipal utilities, and private entities as they seek to address water infrastructure needs with limited budgets.

State assistance for local greenhouse gas reduction initiatives

The Sabin Center has compiled this database of legal resources for adaptation, which includes information about specific legal provisions that could be interpreted as requiring consideration of climate-related risks, articles discussing the nature of legal obligations to adapt, and resources to facilitate adaptation planning efforts undertaken by government and private actors.

This handbook describes how regulators and the public can use existing laws to advance adaptation objectives.

In September 2014, New York enacted the Community Risk and Resiliency Act which requires in part that the New York Department of State and the Department of Environmental Conservation create model local laws relating to climate change adaptation for use by local governments. The Sabin Center for Climate Change Law has assembled existing and suggested local law provisions that reflect diverse approaches to adaptation to climate-enhanced flood risk in an effort to: assist the State with drafting model local laws for adaptation; encourage the State to incorporate a broad range of adaptation strategies, including retreat from areas of high flood risk; and assist local governments with implementation of these programs. While many of the approaches reflected in this paper deal with coastal local laws, local governments could adopt similar strategies and language in riverine floodplains.

By cataloging potential tools and illustrating through case studies the practical situations in which managed retreat has been used, this handbook aims to provide policy makers with better information on the pros and cons of managed retreat.

Minnesota GreenStep Cities & Tribal Nations is a voluntary challenge, assistance and recognition program to help communities achieve their sustainability and quality-of-life goals. This free continuous improvement program, managed by a public-private partnership, is based upon a menu of 29 optional best practices. Each best practice can be implemented, as decided by elected officials, staff and community members, by completing one or more actions at a 1, 2 or 3-star level, from a list of over 180 actions. These voluntary actions are tailored to Minnesota, focus on cost savings and energy use reduction, and encourage civic innovation.

The Sabin Center has developed model protocols describing how decision-makers can account for the impacts of climate change when conducting environmental reviews and related planning activities (such as resource assessments). These protocols are intended to provide guidance to federal, state, and local agencies, environmental consultants, and other stakeholders who are involved in planning and environmental review processes.

This paper proceeds in four sections. The first provides an overview of the problems confronting New York City as a result of existing stormwater management infrastructure and regulation, and also summarizes the City's current green infrastructure (GI) goals. The second section summarizes the benefits and costs that are expected to accompany GI in the New York City context. The third describes the City's goals for creating GI on public and private property, as well as the timeframes currently envisioned for the task. It also notes the particular importance -- and difficulty -- of scaling up GI installations on private property. Finally, the fourth section examines the knotty administrative and legal issues involved in using public money to increase the volume of GI on private property.

States and communities around the country have begun to prepare for the climate changes that are already underway. This planning process typically results in a document called an adaptation plan. The site provides a map that highlights the status of state adaptation efforts. Click on a state to view a summary of its progress to date and to access its full profile page. State profile pages include a detailed breakdown of each state's adaptation work and links to local adaptation plans and resources.