In response to Superstorm Sandy, the federal government provided recovery support and initiated innovative resilience strategies through President Obama’s Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force and the Rebuild by Design (RBD) program. This initiative fostered interdisciplinary research and design to develop resilience approaches in affected communities, including Bridgeport, CT. Building on this, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development launched the National Disaster Resilience Competition (NDRC) in 2014. Coordinated by the Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation (CIRCA), a consortium of state agencies developed a successful NDRC proposal with two components: expanding the RBD project to enhance flood protection and economic opportunities in Bridgeport, and extending planning to other vulnerable communities in New Haven and Fairfield Counties, known as Resilient Connecticut. The Resilient Connecticut project aimed to increase coordination across planning scales using a watershed-based, climate science-informed approach to identify flood risks and vulnerabilities, termed “Zones of Shared Risk” (ZSR). It also sought to integrate risk reduction with economic development and infrastructure improvements. Connecticut’s complex geological history influences human settlement and climate risk patterns. This report outlines the planning process, summarizes outcomes, and provides recommendations for a Resilience Road Map for Connecticut, detailing geomorphological, developmental, and political challenges, project phases, prioritization of actions, and lessons learned.
Individual Appendix files can be downloaded below:
Appendix H - Resilient South Norwalk Adaptation Options Final Report
Appendix I – Resilient Fairfield Adaptation Options Final Report
Appendix J - Resilient Ansonia Adaptation Options Final Report
Appendix K – Resilient Stratford South End Adaptation Options Final Report
Appendix L – Resilient Fair Haven Adaptation Options Final Report
Appendix M – Resilient Meadow Street Adaptation Options Final Report