The objective of this course is to provide participants with the tools and frameworks necessary to plan, implement, and govern climate change adaptation in urban environments. Upon completion, participants will be able to:

• Urban Planners and Policy Makers
• Emergency Management and Disaster Recovery Staff
• Municipal Engineers and Public Works Directors
• Public Health Officials and Social Workers
• Environmental Consultants specializing in climate risk
• Real Estate Developers and Insurers
• Students in Planning or Environmental Management

• Case Studies of major climate disasters and subsequent adaptation responses
• Group Activities: Conducting a simplified vulnerability assessment for a local neighborhood
• Scenario Planning: Developing a response plan for a chronic heat stress event
• Individual Exercises: Analyzing a municipal climate action plan for adaptation measures
• GIS mapping demonstrations of climate risk exposure and social vulnerability
• Discussions on the ethical and political challenges of resource allocation for adaptation

Unit 1: Understanding Urban Climate Risk

• Overview of climate change projections relevant to urban areas (e.g., heat, precipitation)
• Understanding climate hazards: heat waves, intense rainfall, sea-level rise, drought
• Impacts on critical urban systems: energy, water, transport, and public health
• The concept of "compound risk" and cascading failures in urban systems

• Methodology for conducting a climate change vulnerability assessment
• Identifying and mapping vulnerable populations and critical assets
• Defining and calculating climate risk (Hazard x Exposure x Vulnerability)
• Using climate models and downscaling techniques in local planning

Unit 2: Adaptation Strategies and Planning Tools

• Adaptation for transportation: hardening infrastructure, elevated roadways
• Water security strategies: alternative supply, conservation, stormwater reuse
• Building and energy sector: passive cooling, building envelope resilience
• Public health planning for extreme heat and vector-borne diseases

• Integrating adaptation into comprehensive plans, zoning, and building codes
• Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) and green infrastructure for resilience (e.g., urban forests)
• Managed retreat, land acquisition, and other spatial planning responses to chronic risk
• Using regulatory incentives to promote private sector adaptation investment

Unit 3: Implementation and Governance

• Sources of funding for climate adaptation projects (federal, philanthropic, insurance)
• The economics of adaptation: cost-benefit analysis and avoided losses
• Establishing effective governance structures for multi-jurisdictional adaptation
• The role of public-private partnerships in adaptation project delivery

• Overcoming political and institutional barriers to proactive adaptation
• Integrating climate action into emergency management and disaster recovery planning
• Monitoring, evaluation, and adaptive management of implemented strategies

Unit 4: Social Equity and Co-Benefits

• Analyzing the disproportionate impacts of climate change on vulnerable groups
• Principles of "just adaptation" and procedural equity in planning
• Strategies for meaningful community engagement and co-production of solutions
• Identifying adaptation measures that also address social and economic goals

• Identifying "win-win" solutions that both adapt to and mitigate climate change
• The role of green infrastructure in providing co-benefits (e.g., cooling, air quality)
• Integrating adaptation planning with greenhouse gas reduction goals

Unit 5: Case Studies and Best Practices

• In-depth analysis of successful adaptation projects in coastal cities (e.g., Rotterdam, NYC)
• Examining strategies for managing extreme heat in inland metropolitan areas
• Case studies on the integration of adaptation into urban water management
• Lessons learned from post-disaster recovery and rebuilding efforts