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Project Overview

As climate change increases flood risks, the need for connections between upstream and downstream communities also increases. Implementation of green infrastructure (GI), a nature-based stormwater management technique with many co-benefits, as well as floodplain restoration, and changes in land use and land cover,   have implications on flood risk downstream. This interdisciplinary project will utilize dynamic and participatory systems modeling to better understand climate adaptation capacity in the Darby-Cobbs watershed of southeast Pennsylvania through potential GI strategies. The goals of this project are to:

• Raise public awareness and knowledge of the causes of flooding and its various ramifications across the socio-ecological systems present in the watershed;
• Position community members as local experts whose priorities, ideas, and strategies for adaptation are factored into modeling and decision-making; and
• Build adaptation planning capacity through the development of the systems model and the training of local stakeholders in its use.