Silicon Valley Reboots on Adaptation Work
With the aid of a $150,000 grant from the National Fish Wildlife Foundation, Santa Clara County embarked on a substantial new resilience planning effort this summer. In June the county’s Office of Sustainability convened the first meeting of the County Climate Collaborative, bringing together cities, CBOs and other key partners to identify adaptation and resilience priorities.
“Climate change is not a local problem,” says project lead Magdalena Sta Maria. “The collaborative is meant to help us figure out how to move as a region, and give cities a chance to chime in on what they think should be a priority based on their communities.”
The collaborative will help develop the Santa Clara County Resiliency Strategy for sea level rise and flooding, which will prioritize protecting ecosystems as well as communities. In August the county contracted with Blue Point Planning to develop the strategy, together with the Farallon Strategies and San Francisco Estuary institute. The strategy is due by the end of 2022; after that, says Sta Maria, the hope is to continue the collaborative, with working groups tackling different priority areas such as wildfire and transportation.
Both the climate collaborative and the resilience strategy will be aided by an updated version of Silicon Valley 2.0, a climate change preparedness decision-support tool that models future climate change impacts on county assets and the resulting financial costs. “Originally the tool was focused just on hard assets, not people assets,” says Sta Maria. “Now we are adding community vulnerabilities and health impacts,” as well as updating the underlying data to reflect more recent climate change projections. The update is expected to be complete in early 2022.
MORE
Other Recent Posts
Reforming Rules to Speed Adaptation
Bay Conservation and Development Commission to vote early this year on amendments designed to expedite approval of climate projects.
Warner Chabot Shifts Gears
After 11 years at the helm of the Bay Area’s leading science institute, its leader moves back into the zone of policy influence.
Is Brooklyn Basin Emblematic of Regional Development Vision?
The 64-acre waterfront development adds thousands of new housing units to one of the world’s most expensive places, but questions remain about its future.
Coordinate or Fall Short: The New Normal
Public officials and nonprofits say teaming up and pooling resources are vital strategies for success in a climate-changed world.
Pleasant Hill Gets Sustainable Street Improvements
An intersection redesign with safer bike lanes earned a national Complete Streets award, while sparking mixed reactions from drivers.
Six Months on the Community Reporting Beat
The magazine worked with four journalists in training from community colleges, and began building a stronger network in under covered communities.
Rio Vista Residents Talk Health and Air Quality
A Sustainable Solano community meeting dug into how gas wells, traffic, and other pollution sources affect local air and public health.
New Year Immerses Concord Residents in Flood Preparations
In Concord, winter rains and flood risks are pushed residents to prepare with sandbags, shifted commutes, and creek monitoring.
