Prioritization of vulnerabilities is a stakeholder driven, consultative process. This process requires the involvement of all relevant stakeholders, and is useful for outlining a coherent plan of action for increasing resilience and reducing vulnerability in the city. In some cases, evaluating and ranking vulnerabilities may involve visioning exercises to compare a projected future to the current baseline so that stakeholders can consider priorities and pathways in achieving longer term objectives.
The objective of this step is to determine short- and long-term priorities based on their potential impacts and urgency, and should result in broad directions for the future. Short-term stressors, such as extreme events, traffic congestion, and poverty will need to be compared with long-term stresses such as sea-level rise, increasing temperatures, and rural-urban migration. The prioritization process helps stakeholders decide which vulnerabilities are best addressed through discrete projects (urgent needs), and which are best approached through changes in planning and policy frameworks (longer term processes). Moreover, the prioritization process encourages stakeholders to think about the complementarity between planning, policy, and projects.
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Resilience Priorities: New Orleans, USA New Orleans’ Resilience Strategy identifies three key elements. The first of these is “adapt to thrive”, and focuses on meeting challenges associated with climate change. This includes a range of action areas, including developing resilient infrastructure, ensuring that the city maintains its environmental support system, and encouraging behavioral change to reduce risk. The second broad area is “connect to opportunity”, which focuses on ensuring equitable opportunities for all residents and encouraging economic and social mobility for all. The third element of the strategy is “transform city strategies”, which focuses on improved service delivery, mobility, and operational systems. |