Free Climate Adaptation Tools Workshop Set for Jan. 14

On Jan. 14, U.S. and Dutch experts in planning and design will meet for a free public workshop on tools and techniques for climate adaptation.

The morning program, which will take place from 8:30 to noon, at Montclair State University in New Jersey, features Justine Shapiro Klein, a planning expert from WXY Architecture + Urban Design, as well as forecasting specialists from Rutgers and Montclair State and Deltares USA, a flood defense expert, and presentations by U.S. and Dutch experts involved in planning, design and engineering.

"Greater resilience requires more interdisciplinary and sustained planning for communities at risk," says the group in a statement. "Now, more than three years into the process of redevelopment following Superstorm Sandy, there is both a need to share lessons learned from these events as well to keep learning from other places.

“As a society, we need reliable forecasting tools to show us what the future may hold. As citizens, we need visualization tools so that we can see what our communities will look like. As professionals, we need scenario planning and technical tools so that we can better understand performance characteristics as well as interconnections. As policymakers, we need economic tools to help us understand the costs and benefits of certain actions or inaction. As a civilization, we need design and development tools that can help us build and grow in physical ways that are more resilient to the stresses and risks we face. We have some tools already, but we know we need more.”

Tools for adaptation to be discussed in the free public presentation include technologies adapted for:

  1. Forecasting severe weather
  2. Visualization of community impacts
  3. Scenario planning and technical performance of protections
  4. Economic impacts (to assist policymakers)
  5. Design & development of new infrastructure, communities and buildings.

The program, hosted by the Passaic River Institute and the Consulate of the Netherlands, takes place at Montclair State University's Center for Environmental & Life Sciences, room 120. Breakfast will be served.

For more information, contact Carter Craft at [email protected].

Featured

  • Doerr School of Sustainability Accelerator

    From Concrete Warehouse to Innovation Hub: Accelerating Sustainability at Stanford

    The transformation of a once windowless, concrete publishing warehouse into a sun-drenched center for global innovation began with a single, fundamental challenge: how to turn an industrial storage shell into a space built for human connection.

  • California School District Completes Elementary School Modernization

    The San Diego Unified School District in San Diego, Calif., recently held a ribbon-cutting for a whole-site modernization of Pacific Beach Elementary School, according to local news. The school first opened with one building in 1930 and added six more between 1938 and 1957.

  • Harvard Announces Replacement Facility for Native American Program

    Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., recently announced that construction will begin this spring on a new home for its Native American Program, according to university news. The 6,500-square-foot, all-electric building will stand three stories and serve as the central hub for the Harvard University Native American Program (HUNAP).

  • El Paso District Breaks Ground on New Elementary School

    The Canutillo Independent School District in El Paso, Texas, recently announced that construction has begun on a 119,000-square-foot elementary school, according to a news release. The district partnered with Pfluger Architects, Carl Daniel Architects, and LDCM Solutions on the new Davenport Elementary School, which has an expected completion date of 2027.