Cities concentrate people, wealth, and infrastructure, as well as vulnerability to climate change risks. People who are already socially and economically marginalized are particularly vulnerable to climate risks. City leaders are increasingly aware of the need to build climate resilience, and many have extensive data on climate risks and have begun to implement adaptation measures. What is still missing in most cities is an inclusive, holistic approach that reflects the complexity of climate risks and enables citizens to actively participate in shaping responses.
Using an NSF CRISES planning grant, the team is developing a plan for a new Civic-Led Urban Adaptation Research Center (CIVIC-UARC), which will foster new collaborations between an interdisciplinary team of urban experts and diverse institutions, work closely with civil society and public sector stakeholders, and use New York City as an urban laboratory. Our objective is to develop a model for coproduction of knowledge and solutions to address climate risks in cities, with special attention to environmental justice concerns.The work of the Center will train the next generation of climate adaptation scientists and scholars, build climate resilience capacities of local partners, and be a guide for other cities in the U.S. and around the world.
Ocellus XR, developed by the Urban Systems Lab at The New School.
As part of the planning grant, the research teams will be conducting: (1) background research, inventories of data and knowledge gaps, and institutional mapping; (2) monthly virtual meetings of research teams and of research teams and community partners; (3) three workshops that align with each of the three core research areas; and (4) site visits to each of the communities our civil society partners represent.
Seeks to enhance our understanding of how climate change hazards are spatially distributed across the city and how human behavior and activity, the urban built environment, and natural processes interact with each other. The goal is to shed light on critical climate resilience challenges, particularly around the impacts of pluvial and coastal flooding, urban heat and heat waves, and air pollution on people, critical infrastructure, and services.
Inventories existing climate change vulnerability data at the household level, as well as the capacity for civil society and public sector to address and implement measures of climate change adaptation across NYC. The team includes several members from the U.S. Forest Service, who are responsible for the STEW-MAP dataset that measures the capacity for civil society organizations to engage in environmental stewardship. To ensure the project is meaningful to communities in New York City, the team includes two civil society organizations: Universe City in Brooklyn and RISE in the Rockaways.
Examines the utility of a digital twin of NYC—an open computational platform for decision makers in the public and private sectors, researchers, civil society, and the general public to better understand climate-related issues and potential solutions. It leverages the information-gathering mechanisms in a city to provide a close-to-real representation backed by live data streams. A digital twin can also provide advanced computational modeling and analyses, which is especially useful in planning scenarios to engage communities in strategizing for climate adaptation.
The workshop analyzes spatial variations in climate change hazards, with a focus on diverse forms of urban flooding, extreme heat exposure, and air quality.
The workshop focuses on community-level vulnerabilities to climate change risks and community capacity for environmental stewardship and care.
The workshop examines the utility of a digital twin—an open computational platform for decision-makers in public and private sectors, researchers, civil society, and the public to better understand climate issues and potential solutions in NYC.
The project team is composed of faculty members and student researchers from Cornell University; Hunter College, City University of New York; George Mason University; The New School; Barnard College, scientists from the USDA U.S. Forest Service; and fellow investigators from Universe City and RISE.
