The Collaboration Agreement between The University of Texas at Austin and the City of Austin.

Austin, Texas has an extensive history of extreme weather, and the local infrastructure and residence has experienced an amplification in frequency of events over the past decade. This trend has prompted the City of Austin to grapple with the challenge of preparing for an unpredictable future. In response to these challenges, the City of Austin and The University of Texas at Austin have developed a collaboration agreement to study, assess, develop and implement Austin specific climate information, data products, tools, solutions, and recommendations to drive innovation in research policy and governance, funding, and education. The collaboration focuses on five different task objectives that ultimately lead to this set of goals. The first task focuses on a synthesis of knowledge and the development of the team who will be responsible for carrying out the project. The second task encompasses a city climate assessment, which identifies the city’s climate needs and a local climate assessment, which encompasses the Central Texas region. The third task focuses on the creation of the data products for Austin’s local weather and climate. The fourth task identifies changes associated with policy, governance, and engagement. The final task provides focus on community outreach and engagement. The collaboration between these two entities is essential for our next steps in climate mitigation and adaptation, and provides a leverage in the mission of community engagement and knowledge with the future changes in climate and weather.