Presentation on the Creating Resilient Communities EBM Tool Demonstration Project
Presentation on the Creating Resilient Communities EBM Tool Demonstration Project by Jocelyn Hittle of PlaceMatters (November 17, 2010). The Creating Resilient Communities project, supported by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation as an EBM Tool Demonstration project, is working with three counties in coastal South Carolina (Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester Counties) to model possible future scenarios for the region and evaluate possible outcomes related to natural hazards, sea level rise, community vulnerability, and biodiversity conservation. The region includes both urban areas (the cities of Charleston and North Charleston) as well as extensive rural and suburban areas, and its population is growing rapidly. The marine and coastal ecosystems of the region are facing significant pressures and threats related to growth, development, and resource use as well as hurricanes, storm surges and flooding, and rising sea levels. Three tools- NatureServe Vista, NOAA’s Community Resilience and Vulnerability Assessment Toolkit, and PlaceWay’s CommunityViz- are being used for the modeling and analysis. The project has encountered a number of substantial implementation challenges typical of tool use projects, including difficulties gathering usable data, engaging decision makers and the community, and working within local government planning processes. This presentation will give an overview of the project- including a brief overview of the toolkit involved- and will discuss obstacles encountered, possible ways of surmounting common obstacles with tool use, and lessons learned in this process. Learn more about the project at http://resilient-communities.org.