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Land Use and Built Environment Case Studies

This tab features case studies that describe examples of how adaptation has been incorporated into decisions about land use and the built environment.

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Climate-Informed Anti-Displacement Initiatives in California: Transformative Climate Communities

April 23, 2020

The Greenlining Institute (GLI) is a nonprofit organization founded to advance economic opportunity and community empowerment through policy, research, organizing, and leadership throughout California. The Environmental Equity team works to address climate change, pollution, and poverty while ensuring that any investments or adjustments made as a result of their projects take into consideration community input in decision making and anti-displacement strategies. GLI and the California Environmental Justice Alliance (CEJA) co-sponsored Assembly Bill 2722, which created the Transformative Climate Communities (TCC) program.

 

Author or Affiliated User: Kathryn Braddock

Resource Category: Planning

 

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Mitigation Matters: Policy Solutions to Reduce Local Flood Risk

November 2019

This report from The Pew Charitable Trusts provides brief summaries of 13 case studies from across the U. S. where states or cities are effectively implementing flood mitigation strategies. The case studies are organized by strategies using existing funds, those generating new revenue, and those employing updated or new regulations to reduce risk and mitigate the impacts of flooding. Because flood risk and the cost of adapting to floods is expected to increase, this report aims to offer model examples and lessons learned to decision-makers seeking to improve their communities’ resilience to floods and storms exacerbated by climate change.

Resource Category: Solutions

 

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Scorched: Extreme Heat and Real Estate

August 2019

Extreme heat is an increasingly severe climate change impact across the United States - to the environment and natural resources, public health, infrastructure and ultimately, the economy.  Scorched provides an overview of extreme heat’s implications on the built environment and current and future real estate markets. Heat mitigation and adaptation strategies are discussed related to building design, building materials, green infrastructure and public space design. Case studies highlight the how the real estate sector is leading in implementing ‘heat-resilient’ building designs and land uses.

Authors or Affiliated Users: Katharine Burgess, Elizabeth Foster

Resource Category: Solutions

 

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Hudson River Sustainable Shorelines Project

2019

The Hudson River Sustainable Shorelines Project developed science-based recommendations for shore zone management along the Hudson River in eastern New York. The Project and recommendations are focused on natural and nature-based shoreline protection against storm surge and sea level rise. Landowners, land managers, engineers, and other decision-makers can find guidance on permitting, natural shoreline engineering and design, and best management practices to meet adaptation needs (eg. flooding and erosion protection) while enhancing ecological functions of the Hudson’s shorelines.

Resource Category: Solutions

 

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Maycroft Apartments “Resiliency Room” in Affordable Housing Complex in Washington, DC

May 2019

A non-profit affordable housing developer, Jubilee Housing, is working to incorporate a “resiliency room” and increase affordable housing by renovating the historic Maycroft Apartments in the Columbia Heights neighborhood of Washington, D. C.  – an area of the District that has been experiencing rapid gentrification. The project will provide affordable housing and will renovate the complex's basement into a resiliency room to provide both emergency and everyday services for residents.

Resource Category: Solutions

 

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Lower Manhattan, New York Climate Resilience Study

March 2019

Building on the recovery and climate planning efforts in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, New York State and City funded the Lower Manhattan Climate Resilience Study to identify adaptation and resilience strategies for Lower Manhattan - which is a critical economic, cultural, and civic hub for New York City and the region. Led by the Mayor’s Office of Recovery and Resiliency and the New York City Economic Development Corporation, this study included a climate risk analysis of the area and identified approximately $500 million worth of short- and long-term investments in coastal resilience projects.

Resource Category: Solutions

 

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C2ES Maximizing Benefits: Strategies for Community Resilience

December 2018

Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) developed this set of briefs on resilience strategies for extreme climate events, primarily to support local government officials in adaptation planning. Key climate resilience strategies are discussed including the co-benefits they provide, and quantitative assessments of the costs and benefits of each strategy. Each brief includes a case study of a model city that has successfully employed a number of climate resilience strategies. The five briefs of the compendium focus on: Extreme heat and heatwaves Flash flooding Drought Wildfire Power outages All of the Resilience Strategies are treated comprehensively with Cost and Benefit evaluations, as well as recommendations for raising awareness and preparing for the climate event.

Resource Category: Solutions

 

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Resilient Affordable Housing Grant Program - Boston, Massachusetts

2019

Boston’s Resilient Affordable Housing Grant Program illustrates how cities can use Section 4 Capacity Building Program grants to fund resilience investments in affordable housing. Despite having one of the narrowest housing affordability gaps in the country, Boston nevertheless faces pressures from increasing population growth. Like many urban areas across the country, Boston also faces increased incidences of climate impacts like extreme heat, coastal and riverine flooding, and more frequent stormwater flooding. In 2019, the Boston chapter of the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) issued an RFP for Section 4 funding (up to $9,000) to assist community development corporations (CDCs) and community housing development organizations (CDHOs) with preparing the city’s affordable housing stock for extreme weather, sea-level rise, and other impacts of climate change. Specifically, the Resilient Affordable Housing Grant program provided funding to conduct resiliency assessments for vulnerable properties (located in the floodplain or at-risk for extreme heat), as well as for creating emergency management and training plans.

Resource Category: Funding

 

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Union Square Neighborhood Council, Somerville, Massachusetts

2019

In 2019, the Union Square Neighborhood Council (USNC) negotiated and ratified a Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) with the developer Union Square Station Associates LLC (US2), following approximately a year of weekly meetings with the negotiating committee. The CBA set forth terms on a number of issues, including housing, workforce development, and environmental sustainability. Specifically, under the CBA, US2 committed to developing 90 permanently affordable units in the Union Square neighborhood (out of a total of 1,000 new affordable and market rate units).

Resource Category: Solutions

 

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Higher Standards: Opportunities for Enhancing Flood Resilience in the Eastern Shore of Maryland

January 2019

Georgetown Climate Center (GCC) prepared this report to help the Eastern Shore Climate Adaptation Partnership (ESCAP) identify strategies for adapting to increasing sea-level rise and flood risk in the Eastern Shore region of Maryland. This publication is a part of a series of reports assessing the sea-level rise vulnerability of communities in Maryland's Eastern Shore, as well as potential adaptation responses. ESCAP worked with the Eastern Shore Regional GIS cooperative to assess sea-level rise vulnerabilities in the six counties and two municipalities that participate in ESCAP.

Authors or Affiliated Users: Jessica Grannis, Katie Spidalieri, Jennifer Li

Resource Category: Law and Governance

 

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