Mobile, Ala. Resilience Assessment and Plan

The Approach

The Resilience Assessment, released in December 2023, establishes a baseline understanding of the resilience of Mobile’s communities, institutions, businesses, and systems to chronic stressors and acute shocks the city faces today and into the future. The Assessment was developed by:

• Establishing a collective vision for a resilient Mobile through discussions with City leadership, staff, and local stakeholders
• Reviewing and summarizing localized projections on changing climate, sea-level rise, economic, and social factors.
• Assessing public perceptions and defining priority chronic stressors and acute shocks facing Mobile.
• Summarizing the holistic set of assets (Infrastructure, Economy, Health and Wellbeing, Community, and Natural Resources) that need to be protected or adapted.
• Identifying opportunities to incorporate resilience goals into existing plans, policies, and programs.

To develop Mobile’s City-Wide Resilience Plan, the Water Institute led an integrated and collaborative planning process to investigate options and identify actionable steps the city can take to withstand, adapt, and thrive in the face of future challenges so that Mobile remains a great place to live, work, and raise a family for generations to come. This process included facilitating multiple working sessions with City leadership, City staff, approximately 60 stakeholders, and subject-matter experts across four Advisory Groups, as well as the public. The Plan will serve as the roadmap for building the city’s resilience and will include details on timelines, partners, funding, and other mechanisms to support implementation. Actions were woven into the City's and its partners' long-range plans and day-to-day work so that resilience is built into everything Mobile does.

The Water Institute has led a team that includes partners at Waggonner & Ball, Moffatt and Nichol, Volkert, PLACE: SLR, and Ephriam and Associates Environmental Consulting, in close collaboration with the City of Mobile’s Chief Resilience Officer.