Adaptation, Mitigation and Resiliency

The impact of changing climate is felt across varied communities from those on the coast, to those near rivers and streams and those where water access is problematic. We’ve gathered some resources to help communities navigate natural disasters and emergencies, strategize on green building techniques and sustainable practices.

Coastal Waters and Floodplains

  • The East Side Coastal Resiliency Project: New York City’s coastal protection initiative that protects the East Side of NYC from 25th Street down to Montgomery Street, which is one of the more vulnerable areas to flooding and coastal erosion since Hurricane Sandy. 

  • Keeping History Above Water: An initiative run by the Newport Restoration Foundation since 2016, Keeping History Above Water was founded to help the field of historic preservation in protecting cultural heritage and historic communities from coastal erosion and climate change. Offering tools, resources, and programs on safeguarding the built environment from rising sea level risks for individuals, communities, and organizations.

  • Flood Mitigation Guidelines for Flood-Prone Buildings. This publication was put together for properties in the Southern Tier Central Region of New York State, which has seen increased adverse rain events in the last few decades.

Climate Resiliency and Sustainable Practices

  • The National Trust for Historic Preservation Case Studies list. As part of its goal to support adaptation of historic places to withstand current and future climate impacts, the National Trust is compiling case studies that inform and inspire goals on responding to climate change, incentivizing adaptive reuse of historic structures as well as environmental conservation and green energy initiatives.

  • Climate Resilience Resources for Cultural Heritage: Build Resilience Strategy offers interactive learning modules that allow users to develop a climate resilience strategy guided by assessment tools that help create specific action plans for your community.  

  • Sustainable Historic Preservation: A project of the National Institute of Building Sciences, Whole Building Design Guide is a collaborative effort at the federal level to gather expertise across government agencies, private sector companies, non-profit organizations and educational institutions to support guidance on sustainable building practices.