Working Together to Build Climate Resilience in Hudson Riverfront Communities

Abstract

Hudson riverfront communities are facing climate risks on a scale greater than their small populations and capacity-limited governments can easily address. Led by a partnership of state and municipal governments and nonprofit organizations, four of these communities (ranging in size from 2500 to 25,000 residents) embarked on year-long resilience planning processes beginning in 2012. Each community created a resilience plan, drawing on stakeholder education, participatory mapping, vulnerability assessment, and cost-benefit analyses. These plans included specific priority actions for adapting their waterfront to increasing flood risk. Since these reports were finalized in 2013 and 2014, the four communities have begun tackling actions, updating their plans, and leveraging public grant funding. More recently in 2016 and 2017, the partnership organized a Learning Group for these communities to collaborate and receive technical assistance on the following topics: planning, emergency management, water infrastructure, and community engagement. This paper introduces the context of climate adaptation in the Hudson Valley region; outlines the resilience planning and Learning Group processes; shares insights, including resilience recommendations communities had in common, and lessons learned; and proposes future work.