Friday, November 19, 2010

Climate resilient communities in the US

Sustainable Business: Eight cities will be the first to participate in Climate Resilient Communities (CRC), the nation's first comprehensive climate adaptation program for local governments, developed by ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability USA.

The program, launched this week, establishes the first standardized adaptation planning process for communities. The Climate Resilient Communities Program CRC provides local governments with a wealth of resources and trainings to undertake this process, including the advanced Adaptation and Database Planning Tool (ADAPT). ADAPT walks users through the process of assessing community vulnerabilities, setting resiliency goals, and developing effective strategies that integrate into existing local planning efforts. These wide-ranging strategies may include strengthening infrastructure, diversifying water supplies, and planting more vegetation to counteract the urban heat island effect.

All of ICLEI USA's 600 U.S. local government members will receive access to CRC resources, but the following eight "Inaugural Adaptation Communities" will receive additional technical support:
  • Boston, MA
  • Cambridge, MA
  • Flagstaff, AZ
  • Grand Rapids, MI
  • Lee County, FL
  • Miami-Dade County, FL
  • San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC)
  • Tucson, AZ
Boston's Back Bay, shot by Urban (I think), Wikimedia Commons, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license

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