Description
Rainy days, high tides, and sea level rise are making floods a routine part of life in the Mid-Atlantic and other coastal areas, driving interest in relocating individuals and communities away from the water’s edge. Designed for coastal adaptation practitioners, this webinar series features scientists and experienced practitioners working in the Mid-Atlantic to proactively move people, structures, and infrastructure out of harm’s way.
- Webinar 1: Personal and Community Impacts of Relocation
- Webinar 2: Planning Approaches and Tools
- Webinar 3: Equity and Environmental Justice
- Webinar 4: Economic Considerations
- Webinar 5: Communication and Engagement
Recordings
Webinar 1: Personal and Community Impacts of Relocation
Recorded March 25, 2021
A frontline view of the challenges of relocation, the relevant science, and tested and emerging approaches to working with communities to maximize the benefits and minimize the impacts of relocation.
Speakers:
- Meghan Wren, coastal resident and participant in Blue Acres Program
- Dr. Anamaria Bukvic, Assistant Professor of Geography, Virginia Tech
- Luke Ormand, Environmental Analyst, Town of Brookhaven (Mastic Beach, New York)
- Rhonda Coe, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Blue Acres Program
Webinar 2: Planning Approaches and Tools
Recorded April 28, 2021
Insight into planning approaches and policy that advance the concept of relocation in the Mid-Atlantic. Speakers discussed opportunities and gaps in relocation policies, and how those policies translated into long-term community visioning and near-term action in Hampton Roads, Virginia.
Speakers:
- Charles J. (C.J.) Bodnar, P.E., Stormwater Technical Services Program Manager, Department of Public Works, Virginia Beach
- Robert Freudenberg, Vice President, Regional Plan Association's Energy and Environmental Program
- Jeremy Sharp, AICP, Zoning Administrator, Norfolk, Virginia
- A.R. Siders, Assistant Professor, Biden School of Public Policy, Department of Geography and Spatial Sciences, and the University of Delaware Disaster Research Center
Webinar 3: Equity and Environmental Justice
Recorded May 27, 2021
A discussion of how to advance equity and environmental justice in our engagement with communities as we move back from the Mid-Atlantic coast.
Speakers:
- Jacqueline Patterson, Director, NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Program
- Lauren Wang, Senior Policy Advisor, New York City Mayor's Office of Climate Resiliency
- Jeanne Herb, Executive Director of the Environmental Analysis and Communications Group, Rutgers University
- Lisa Auermuller, NOAA Coastal Management Specialist and Assistant Manager of New Jersey’s Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve
- Annie Bennett, Acting Adaptation Program Director, Georgetown Climate Center
Webinar 4: Economic Considerations
Recorded June 24, 2021
A discussion of the economic consequences for relocation, whether it be prompted by a disaster, financial fears in markets, or community planning.
Speakers:
- Helen J.P. Wiley, Policy Analyst, Wharton Risk Center, University of Pennsylvania
- John Cleveland, President, Innovation Network for Communities
- Todd BenDor, Director, Odum Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Webinar 5: Communication and Engagement
Recorded July 29, 2021
An exploration of strategies to initiate and sustain community conversations about adaptation and relocation.
Speakers:
- Asti Davis, Climate Justice Network Engagement Manager, Foundation for Louisiana
- Skip Stiles, Executive Director, Wetlands Watch
- Sarah Watson, Coastal Climate and Resilience Specialist, South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium and the Carolinas Integrated Sciences and Assessments
- Adrienne Hollis, Senior Climate Justice and Health Scientist, Union of Concerned Scientists