The largest city by area in the continental U.S., Jacksonville faces a challenging future: while its population is rapidly growing, it also faces a suite of climate-intensified risks—including flooding, heat, wind, and wildfires—that will only grow more acute in coming years. At the same time, the city’s history and economy has always been defined by its relationship to water, with port-city activity and communities intermixed between the St. Johns River, its tidal estuaries, and the Intracoastal Waterway.
Building on recent recovery efforts in the wake of Hurricanes Matthew and Irma, the City of Jacksonville is taking a rigorous, science-based approach to develop a comprehensive city-wide approach, prioritizing policies, projects, and programs that will help the city prepare for, adapt to, and quickly rebound from climate challenges. In collaboration with The Water Institute of the Gulf (as prime) and a multi-disciplinary team, SCAPE is helping develop the overall resilience strategy, develop graphic communication, and engagement efforts to engage residents and stakeholders in both the risks and planning process, and leading a series of topical working group meetings to gather input on action opportunities and priorities. These working groups seek to comprehensively consider the functions and dynamics of the city and align the consultant team’s efforts with local subject matter experts and practitioners.
The final resilience strategy, informed by Structured Decision-Making methods and evaluated for measurable impacts will serve as a guiding force and a set of clearly defined objectives and actions for the adaptation of infrastructure, policy, and city operations into the future.
Learn more:
Client
- City of Jacksonville, Florida
Collaborators
The Water Institute of the Gulf (Prime)
Acuity Design Group (Engagement)
Halff Associates (Policy & Governance)
Fernleaf (Climate Data)
