Strategies for urban climate change adaptation: the federal perspective

Urban infrastructure is especially vulnerable to increasing natural hazards related to climate change. The U.S. Government, under Executive Order 13514, is developing an interagency U.S. strategy for climate change adaptation. For urban areas, the envisioned federal role includes scientific assessments (with locally actionable outputs) and technical coordination to promote best practices for improving resiliency through coordinated planning from the federal to local level. This talk addresses climate-related natural hazards risks unique to urban environments and infrastructure and suggests approaches to enhance adaptive capacity and build resilience in urban areas.