Climate Resilience Planning with the Equitable Resilience Builder (MDEM)

The Equitable Resilience Builder (ERB) is a downloadable application that for enhancing community engagement and equity in resilience planning. The tool provides guidance and activities for assessing community resilience needs and identifying actions. Activities include network mapping, storytelling, participatory mapping, indicator assessment, brainstorming and evaluating actions, and strategy and implementation planning. The ERB was developed by EPA's Office of Research and Development using Human Centered Design and is intended for use by planning practitioners, community-based organizations and state and federal agency staff who support community resilience efforts.

Impact/Purpose

Increasing and inequitable impacts from climate change and other hazards are a growing concern for communities and a focus of planning efforts. This research, conducted through case studies with several U.S. communities, explores and develops ways to center equity in resilience planning through participatory processes. The findings support resilience planning efforts at local scales through the development of the Equitable Resilience Builder tool which offers guidance and activities for engaging community members in planning. The research may be of interest to planning practitioners, community based organizations and state and federal agency staff who support community resilience efforts.

Citation

Eisenhauer, E., R. Nee, K. Maxwell, B. Kiessling, S. Julius, M. Fry, J. Finley, M. Matsler, M. Shacklette, L. Oliver, AND S. Henson. Climate Resilience Planning with the Equitable Resilience Builder (MDEM). Maryland Department of Emergency Management Whole Community Integration Summit, Baltimore, MD, June 05, 2024.