The District of Columbia is addressing flooding in the historically overburdened and underinvested neighborhoods of Watts Branch. Due to racist planning legacies, the majority Black residents along Watts Branch are disproportionately located within the floodplain and are increasingly vulnerable to flooding caused by climate change. In response, the District has planned a resident-, building-, and community-level approach to flood risk reduction and resilience.
Learn about our community-based flood ambassadors program, FloodSmart Homes. Neighborhood-scale flood resilience planning will identify a network of blue-green infrastructure strategies to reduce flooding across Watts Branch neighborhoods while providing benefits to residents. Throughout all levels of flood resilience planning, the District is implementing a Racial Equity Impact Assessment to be conducted at the onset of programs. The goal is to ensure we are building a more resilient and equitable future for the District by incorporating racial equity considerations into the planning process and proactively identifying planned projects’ possible impacts on racial equity.
Learning Objectives:
Identify actionable steps toward more equitable planning for climate adaptation in historically overburdened and underinvested neighborhoods.
Outline multiple levels of climate adaptation planning needed to adapt people and shared urban spaces to future climate risk.
Learn how to evaluate racial equity outcomes as part of climate adaptation planning processes.
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