The Resilient Connecticut Synthesis Report is a comprehensive document which summarizes and “synthesizes” the planning process in Fairfield and New Haven Counties. This planning process was initiated through a grant from the HUD sponsored National Disaster Resilience Competition following Superstorm Sandy. The State of Connecticut through a partnership of state agencies known as the State Agencies Fostering Resilience or SAFR, submitted a successful proposal to the NDRC and received funding to implement pilot projects in the South End of Bridgeport (Resilient Bridgeport), as well as funding to extend planning opportunities to other communities in Fairfield and New Haven Counties that were impacted by Sandy. This planning process is called Resilient Connecticut. For more background information about the NDRC grant please visit the CT Department of Housing page.
The Synthesis Report summarizes the different phases of the regional plan development across the 2-county study area (Phase II), as well as local and site plans that were developed in Phase III. In addition, technical support and “capacity building” activities were funded through the grant including the development of high-resolution flood modeling and 2050 risk maps, UConn faculty sponsored research activities, and a public engagement and tool-kit development program. Summary information about support and capacity building activities can be found in the Synthesis Report Appendices listed below. These include fact sheets, white papers, map viewers, and other tools which help to support local and regional resilience planning in Connecticut.
Section 5 of the Synthesis Report includes lessons learned and policy recommendations for a resilience road map for Connecticut. These recommendations are informed by what we learned over the course of developing Resilient Connecticut and can provide a pathway forward for the state as we continue to experience the impacts of climate change.