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Examples of Local Climate
Adaptation Action
Chicago, Illinois leads the nation in green roofs and established the
Chicago Trees Initiative to mitigate urban heat islands and
stormwater management challenges.
Philadelphia, PA has the largest proposed green infrastructure program in the U.S.
with the goal to convert 1/3 of the city’s impervious surfaces to pervious green
infrastructure in the next 25 years.
Dubuque, Iowa is vulnerable to extreme flooding and extreme drought. In
response the city is building a new wastewater treatment plant, has
established a green ally program and expanded its storm sewer.
Photo: Brian Ray AP
Photo: http://wakeupseattle.blogspot.com/
Following 12 federal disaster declarations in King County, Washington in 23
years, the County has chosen to undertake flood protection infrastructure
projects, raise, relocate or demolish chronically flooded homes and integrate
climate change adaptation into city infrastructure
In 2006, Ann Arbor updated the rate structure for its stormwater utility to charge owners
based on the amount of impervious surface, include incentives to manage stormwater and
fund O&M projects, water quality improvement and education.
Green-talk.com
Cambridge, MA initiated a vulnerability assessment in 2012 to be completed in 2013,
coordinated by an inter-departmental steering committee with the help of a team of
consultants and a Technical Advisory Committee
Southern Nevada formed the Southern Nevada Water Alliance: all of the member agencies
use an escalating, tiered rate structure as more water is used to encourage water efficiency,
and includes consumer education.
Photo: Flickr jopoe
In El Paso, Texas, extreme heat combined with drought have repeatedly put drinking water
supplies in the area at risk, in response the city has initiated a water conservation campaign an
extreme weather task force to carry out community education and outreach.
Atlanta is working to require cool or reflective roofs on all new construction, standardize
reflective roofs, expand use of cool pavement, plant 10,000 new trees by 2013, and finalize a
Sustainability Plan to include many of the above strategies.
Photo Brett King
Grand Rapids is developing an energy strategy focused on demand reduction,
promotes LEED building and has set goals to get 100% of the city’s power from
renewable sources by 2020 and increase tree canopy cover by at least 37.5% by 2015
Eugene, Oregon has been working to mitigate flooding, conserve water, remove essential
services from the flood zone, update the Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan to incorporate
climate risks, conduct a vulnerability assessment and offer residents climate-adapted tree
species for planting on the street and in the right-of-way.
Photo: panoramio
Broward County, Florida has incorporated sea level rise into a
comprehensive land use plan, initiated a partnership with three
surrounding communities to plan for transboundary impacts and is
conducting public outreach on climate change adaptation and mitigation
strategies.
Lewes, Delaware combined a hazard mitigation update with climate adaptation planning
carried out in partnership with non-profit, academia, the community and NOAA. The
process synthesized available information on existing risk, use of regional climate data,
stakeholder process using local knowledge to make decisions and collaboration with the city
administration.
Photo: sussex.org
Biloxi, MS mails a disaster preparedness flier to all city residents featuri
preparation guidance and updated materials regarding climate change
impacts to the city. Biloxi started exploring opportunities to integrate
climate change into hazard mitigation planning.
Image from: mceer.buffalo.edu
Photo wxresearch.com
In response to flooding, heat waves and droughts, Houston, TX has: purchased 17
mobile solar generators to provide refrigeration and air conditioning during
emergencies, created a water conservation task force, and established the Rebuild
Houston program to reduce street flooding, improve mobility and reduce
structural flooding.
Miami Dade County has responded to flooding threats with a $10 million in capital funding
for capital drainage improvements, flood mitigation, a post-disaster redevelopment plan,
and integration of climate change into the Comprehensive Development Master Plan.
Photo: NY Times, Andrew Burton
New York City’s PlanNYC includes a $2.4 billion green infrastructure
plan that uses natural rainwater capture to reduce flooding.
New York City is in the process of restoring 127 acres of wetlands to
serve as a natural barrier against storms and has expanded the Staten
Island Blue Belt, a natural drainage system, by 325 acres. Any major
developments require a climate risk assessment.
Photo: natureontheedgenyc.blogspot.com
Keane, New Hampshire was one of the first communities in the U.S. to
undertake adaptation planning. Each town department evaluated existing
and future vulnerabilities and then adaptation was integrated into individual
department plans and into the comprehensive plan.
Toronto’s Win-Win Identification
Climate Adaptation in the Great Lakes Region
Policies and
measures that
cut
greenhouse
gas emissions
Adjustments made in
order to become more
resilient to expected
climate change effects
Diagram adapted from City of Toronto Climate Adaptation Steering Group 2007.
Photo: Plazaresearch.com
The 5 municipalities surrounding San Diego Bay in California are preparing for sea level
rise by: integrating individual municipality plans/strategies with regional strategy,
creating a steering committee and stakeholder committee which produced an existing
conditions report, vulnerability analysis and regional sea level rise strategy.
Communities in five states have created the Western Adaptation Alliance, a networked
learning organization designed to enable the rapid development of best practices in arid
region urban adaptation. The alliance includes 11 communities and has developed a set of
collaborative planning principles guiding their efforts to share resources, tools and
methods for adapting to the unique climate change impacts of the American West.
Photo: rick wilking/reuters
Riverside, CA is working to reduce energy demand and increase the use of recycled water from the
wastewater treatment plant to recover 30% of plant effluent by 2020. Riverside is applying urban
planning principles that encourage high density, mixed use, walkable neighborhoods and open space
preservation.
Photo: Flickr
In Baltimore, Maryland Real Food Farm – an urban agriculture project, is
improving neighborhood access to healthy food and encourage local
agriculture. In 2011, 8,000 lbs of produce was grown
Bedford, NY is promoting landscape alternatives such as the use of native plants and
drought resistant grasses, planting trees to shade buildings and reduce runoff, and
the use of rain water collection systems such as rain barrels to divert water from the
sewer system
Photo: tradertravis.biz