BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA (Oct. 23, 2024) – The American Planning Association (APA) announced that the City of Jacksonville received the 2024 National Planning Award for Resilience and Sustainability for the Resilient Jacksonville strategy. The plan, launched in October 2023, is a 50-year framework to prepare Jacksonville for climate change, population growth, and urban development. The APA recognized the plan for its innovative and comprehensive approach to resilience planning at multiple scales and scenarios.
The Water Institute, an independent applied research and innovation hub, was a lead partner collaborating with the City of Jacksonville in the strategic development of the plan, along with SCAPE, Fernleaf, Halff, and Acuity Design Group, as well as government partners, experts, and community members. The result was a strategy informed by diverse perspectives and cutting-edge methods.
“The City of Jacksonville is honored to be recognized by the APA for our groundbreaking Resilient Jacksonville strategy,” said Mayor Donna Deegan. “We are proud of the innovative approach and the hard work dedicated to this effort by our staff and all the members of the strategy development team. It is vital that we work together with all stakeholders to achieve a resilient future for Jacksonville.”
Resilient Jacksonville leverages The Water Institute's collaborative and cross-disciplinary approach and is deeply rooted in science while addressing the diverse needs of the community.
Jacksonville is the largest city by land area in the continental United States, has 1,500 miles of shoreline on the Atlantic coast, St. Johns River and its tributaries, and experiences multiple types of flood risk. Resilient Jacksonville combines innovative tools and solutions to confront the region’s unique challenges, including rising sea levels, flooding, and climate change impacts.
“The Water Institute is proud to partner with the City of Jacksonville and all our partners and stakeholders who helped shape the Resilient Jacksonville strategy,” said Beaux Jones, President and CEO of The Water Institute. “This plan exemplifies how science-based strategies and cross-sector collaboration can create real-world solutions that foster resilient and thriving communities. Together, we developed an actionable roadmap that not only addresses immediate threats but also positions the city for long-term resilience.”
The strategy includes adaptation approaches and actions that are system-wide, site-specific, and people-centric. Recommendations are organized into two chapters. The first includes 45 resilience actions that include implementable policies, projects, and programs. The second chapter builds on these actions by tailoring and prioritizing them for different conditions on the ground in Jacksonville neighborhoods.
“With climate and decision science grounding the planning process, Jacksonville is implementing a strategic set of actions citywide that meaningfully address its risks while advancing its vision for a thriving future,” said Colleen McHugh, Senior Planner at The Water Institute, “A great deal of care and diligence was taken to ensure that every neighborhood in Jacksonville sees itself in this plan. My hope is that other regions around the country can learn from Jacksonville’s place-based framework for adapting to a changing climate across urban, suburban, and rural areas.”
Each year this prestigious award recognizes a community that has taken exemplary steps to enhance its ability to adapt to shocks and stresses resulting in it becoming stronger, more equitable, and better prepared for the future.
“Through its grounded, science-based approach and collaborative process, Resilient Jacksonville creates a stronger and safer future for the city.” said Emily Liu, FAICP, 2024 APA awards jury chair. "This dynamic strategy successfully identified key characteristics that will enhance resilience across Jacksonville’s vast landscape, addressing not only shoreline risks but also the diverse challenges faced by this expansive city."
In the year since the strategy’s release, the City of Jacksonville moved swiftly into implementation, with 38 of the 45 actions in the document underway in the first year. The City’s Office of Resilience has published an annual report on the strategy’s implementation and progress, which can be found at www.jacksonville.gov/resilience.
Here is the APA's video about the 2024 National Planning Award for Resilience and Sustainability. Here's the APA blog post about the planning awards: APA Recognizes 2024 National Planning Award Winners
About the Water Institute
The Water Institute is an independent, nonprofit applied research organization driven by the mission to advance science and develop integrated methods to solve complex environmental and societal challenges across Louisiana, the Gulf Coast and beyond. A hub of innovation and collaboration, the Institute bridges sectors, engaging across government, private industry, academia, and communities. Institute experts work across disciplines to pioneer groundbreaking tools, solutions and decision-making support for coastal, river and deltaic stakeholders and communities. The Water Institute’s vision is resilient and equitable communities, sustainable environments, and thriving economies. Learn more at www.thewaterinstitute.org.