Hello! My name is Josephine Lee, Assistant Program Manager (APM) for the CityLinks team. As an APM, my responsibilities have mostly included research and operations. With my previous work in education, CityLinks did not seem the most relevant to my background. However, through various opportunities through CityLinks, I have learned about the unique intersections between climate change and my own background, e.g. CityLinks Honduras program on youth crime prevention and climate change.   CityLinks hosted its first webinar last week, “Addressing Key Risks and Engaging the Community in the Development of Urban Infrastructure for Climate Adaptation—US Case Studies,” which furthered my interest in climate change, and strengthened my commitment to CityLinks and its goals.  

The image of climate change has changed dramatically over the past decade. No longer a depiction solely of stranded polar bears and depleted rainforests, climate change is now an image of cities: blacked out lights, damaged roads, collapsed houses. As a Southern California native, I’ve witnessed wildfires and earthquakes. And recently, now that I live on the East Coast, hurricanes have become part of my language, since I have experienced both Sandy and Katrina.

As my first webinar, I found the information fascinating, as well as informative. The panel featured Susanne Torriente (Assistant City Manager of City of Ft. Lauderdale), Douglas Meffert (Vice President and Executive Director of the National Audubon Society of Louisiana), and Eron Bloomgarden (EKO Asset Management Partners). The speakers addressed how cities in the United States were fostering locally-driven support and innovation to adapt to climate change in their communities.

The mere diversity of the panel itself, having representatives from the private and public sector, as well as non-governmental entities, truly reiterated the cross-sector nature of climate change, an issue that reaches the environmental, urban planning, economy, and public health sectors. With climate change being such a multidimensional problem, the speakers provided important case studies and strategies, highlighting the two following themes.  

Perpetual Revolution- Susanne Torriente of Fort Lauderdale described strategizing against climate change to be a “perpetual revolution” of ideas. Douglas Meffert of the National Audubon Society further stressed this concept, stating rather than using the traditional ‘fight nature’ strategy, we should engage with nature and use its resources to our advantage, commending Susanne Torriente for Fort Lauderdale’s use of dunes as a natural disaster defense strategy.

I found it refreshing to hear from both speakers on the importance of re-evaluation and innovation. Often, I find that social science research and strategies can quickly become outdated or stagnant. However, climate change, based in both hard and soft sciences, requires a dynamic approach, and the speakers stressed the need for creativity for approaching this ever-changing issue.  

Collaboration: Rather than just touting the importance of the term “collaboration,” all three speakers translated this buzz word into concrete strategies and results in their communities and projects.  

I was especially impressed by Fort Lauderdale’s citizen engagement activities that relate to climate adaptation. Susanne Torriente highlighted their citizen outreach strategies, and more importantly, the results of their efforts. The city created a website on beach regulation and defense, heavily advocating citizens’ participation on the site. Their efforts resulted in citizens contributing almost 160 ideas and then, out of the 160, picking two ideas which were later developed into key infrastructure decisions in the city - 1) using dunes as a natural defense strategy against water levels and 2) widening the bike path.  Citizens were able to see their ideas come to life in their community, increasing their trust in the government as well as being able to contribute creative ideas to the larger field of climate change. It was a great example of a successful strategy that was driven not only by the citizens but the government’s commitment to the philosophy of collaboration.

Douglas Meffert and Eron Bloomgarden also provided great examples for innovative, collaborative strategies in climate change.  Douglas Meffert highlighted the importance of psychologically sound methods in evacuation in the wake of natural disasters. Rather than limiting their strategies to environmental or governmental entities, Douglas Meffert stated his organization invited universities and NGOs to participate in the strategic process, calling it an “organic process”. This was such a great example of the importance of collaboration. Often, in climate change adaptation, strategies revolve around physical and infrastructure repairs, but not as much on the personal welfare of the community members themselves. Increased participation from others helped fill in the gaps, developing holistic approaches to better serve affected community members.

Eron Bloomgarden focused his presentation on public private partnerships in Philadelphia. I found it extremely helpful to hear case studies on PPPs, especially in this current financial/economic climate. Public sector activities often scramble for funding and he provided concrete examples on leveraging as much resources as possible for an issue that, at this point, is not temporary.

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As a member of the CityLinks Team, I focus on supporting activities that address climate change adaptation. We’ve worked in Durban, Honduras, and now in the ASEAN region. But, of course, with day-to-day administrative duties, I sometimes lose sight of the weight of our activities. This webinar served as an essential reminder for me of the larger picture, motivating my commitment to my current work and responsibilities. The speaker panel, especially, was inspiring due to their drive and passion and I hope to translate their attitudes and philosophies into my own current career and future activities.

To learn more about CityLinks, visit our website and follow us on Twitter at @ICMACityLinks. Please visit ICMA International’s site for additional information about the projects ICMA implements around the world.