Land Use and Built Environment Climate Science and Tools
This tab presents climate science and tools for understanding climate change impacts in land use and the built environment and potential adaptation options.
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April 2024
In April 2024, Delaware’s Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) launched the Individual Adaptation Decision and Planning Tool, or I-ADAPT. I-ADAPT is designed to help homeowners, renters, and business property owners and renters determine appropriate adaptation measures for their flood risk.
Related Organizations: Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC)
Resource Category: Data and tools
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February 6, 2024
The Community Change Grant Equitable Resilience technical assistance program, an initiative spearheaded by the U.S. the Environmental Protection Agency, will provide free assistance to entities applying for Community Change Grants. EPA plans to offer this technical assistance to up to 50 Community Change Grants applicants. The program will provide free project development assistance, community engagement, and partnership development workshops.
Related Organizations: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Resource Category: Data and tools
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June 16, 2022
This report is composed of 24 individual case studies developed by Georgetown Climate Center to support, Greauxing Resilience at Home: A Regional Vision
Related Organizations: Georgetown Climate Center
Authors or Affiliated Users: Katie Spidalieri , Suhasini Ghosh , Katherine McCormick , Jennifer Li
Resource Category: Solutions
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June 16, 2022
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Services (CMSWS) is a joint municipal–county stormwater utility that manages and maintains the regulated floodplains within Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, including the City of Charlotte. CMSWS has developed a system for assessing community flood risk through the Mecklenburg County Risk Assessment/Risk Reduction (RARR) Tool for comprehensive mapping, impact analysis, and county-wide floodplain management. This map-based application allows the agency to collect and analyze flood risk data to help identify and reduce flood risk at the parcel level and regionally. RARR is a data-driven framework and set of tools that dynamically assess, evaluate, and ultimately prioritize flood mitigation strategies. The flood risk analysis processes supported by the RARR tool, along with the resulting solutions that CMSWS offers as described in this case study and a companion report, can guide other local jurisdictions in flood resilience planning, and promote climate adaptive policies. This case study is one of 24 case studies featured in a report written by the Georgetown Climate Center, Greauxing Resilience at Home: A Collection of Lessons and Case Studies from Louisiana and Beyond
Related Organizations: Georgetown Climate Center
Resource Category: Solutions
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June 16, 2022
Because income in Atlanta has not kept pace with rising costs of living amid a population surge, the city has developed several housing initiatives to increase its affordable housing stock and prevent the displacement of existing residents. In 2019, Atlanta released its One Atlanta Affordable Housing Action Plan (plan), a strategic document that includes quantitative goals and policy and program proposals related to building and preserving affordable housing across the city. In the context of managed retreat, Atlanta’s affordable housing efforts have relevance for policymakers in jurisdictions preparing for population growth due to climate change and other causes. The city is implementing a variety of programs and policies to increase the overall housing stock and increase the affordability of homeownership for current residents. These strategies focus on changes to the land-use and zoning code and various financial assistance programs for homeowners, in addition to securing additional resources for the development of affordable rental homes. The city has also engaged in different planning and zoning initiatives around increasing and maintaining green space and tree canopy in both areas targeted for conservation and new, strategic growth. This case study highlights notable initiatives in Atlanta that policymakers in other growing communities can look to when developing their own affordable housing and anti-displacement programs that are aligned with nature. This case study is one of 24 case studies featured in a report written by the Georgetown Climate Center, Greauxing Resilience at Home: A Collection of Lessons and Case Studies from Louisiana and Beyond
Related Organizations: Georgetown Climate Center
Resource Category: Solutions
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June 16, 2022
Austin’s housing plan and comprehensive plan set forth a vision of the city embodied by sustainability, social equity, and economic opportunity as it prepares for continued growth. To advance these values, Austin is taking an intentional approach to create “complete communities” — compact and connected neighborhoods where daily needs can be met close to where residents live and work. In the realm of affordable housing, this means increasing housing development across the city to maximize access to transit and amenities, rather than keeping affordable housing concentrated in certain areas or isolated on the city’s outskirts. The city’s housing planning is also informed by an environmental element: building affordable housing in compact and connected communities can also reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions associated with traffic congestion and car dependency. On the environmental side, Austin’s various environmental management departments have renewed efforts to collaborate to increase the city’s green infrastructure and update its watershed management plan. These initiatives recognize the need to integrate various programs and agencies in order to establish a more consolidated approach to achieving the city’s environmental goals. This case study is one of 24 case studies featured in a report written by the Georgetown Climate Center, Greauxing Resilience at Home: A Collection of Lessons and Case Studies from Louisiana and Beyond
Related Organizations: Georgetown Climate Center
Resource Category: Solutions
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June 16, 2022
Norfolk, Virginia is a coastal city whose history, economy, and culture are deeply tied to its location on the water. Facing new challenges of increased flooding and sea-level rise due to climate change, Norfolk has responded by developing a host of planning and zoning initiatives that are informed by these new risks and designed to increase the city’s resilience against them. Norfolk’s efforts are an example of how various tools, including a comprehensive plan, a long-range plan, and an updated zoning ordinance, can be used together to build an integrated strategy for local resilience. Norfolk also serves as an example of adaptive planning, in which new needs and priorities that arise over time are integrated as appendices to the city’s comprehensive plan. For example, several appendices to Norfolk’s comprehensive plan were developed to assist developers with housing design challenges that were not addressed in the original comprehensive plan.
Overall, Norfolk’s efforts show how developing a long-range strategy centered on the communities’ priorities can inform zoning rules that implement that vision. Other jurisdictions may look to Norfolk as an example of how local governments can orient and integrate planning and zoning initiatives toward increasing long-term resilience to the impacts of flooding. This case study is one of 24 case studies featured in a report written by the Georgetown Climate Center, Greauxing Resilience at Home: A Collection of Lessons and Case Studies from Louisiana and Beyond
Related Organizations: Georgetown Climate Center
Resource Category: Solutions
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June 16, 2022
Greauxing Resilience at Home: A Regional Vision is an innovative legal, planning, and policy resource to promote community resilience through housing and nature-based solutions in places where flooding, extreme weather events, and other factors are driving population changes and transitions. It was developed by Capital Region Planning Commission and Georgetown Climate Center, in collaboration with policymakers, community members, and other stakeholders in Region Seven of the Louisiana Watershed Initiative
Related Organizations: Georgetown Climate Center , Capital Region Planning Commission
Authors or Affiliated Users: Katie Spidalieri , Rachelle Sanderson , Suhasini Ghosh , Annie Bennett , Katherine McCormick , Jennifer Li
Resource Category: Solutions
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January 21, 2022
On January 21, 2022, the Maryland Commission on Climate Change’s Adaptation and Resiliency Work Group in collaboration with the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science Integration and Application Network (UMCES-IAN) released the 2021 Maryland Coastal Adaptation Report Card. Informed by stakeholder engagement, the Coastal Adaptation Report Card “gives a snapshot of the current adaptation status in Maryland’s coastal zone, and establishes a framework for measuring future progress.
Related Organizations: University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
Resource Category: Assessments
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June 30, 2021
The New York City (NYC) Rezoning Commitments Tracker (Tracker) is an online tool that enables city residents to monitor the city’s progress in implementing several neighborhood-level comprehensive plans. The neighborhood plans, referred to generally as “rezonings,” include zoning code changes as well as city commitments to specific capital and programmatic investments. The tool can be used to both inform the city’s internal coordination and project management as well as provide external transparency for community members. The Tracker also serves to help users understand how zoning changes will manifest in tangible projects, translating the technical information from neighborhood rezoning plans into specific initiatives. Other local governments could consider developing and maintaining similar online tools to support and implement community-led decisionmaking processes including for adaptation and resilience.
Related Organizations: New York City Mayor's Office of Operations, City of New York, New York , New York City Economic Development Corporation
Resource Category: Data and tools
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