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Bridgeport Climate Action Case Study

The goal of this case study was to provide examples of climate strategies that may work for other engaged communities by showcasing policies and enactment strategies that could be adopted and fitted for other towns and cities, as well as the process and resources involved in implementing these kinds of actions. Bridgeport exemplifies resiliency values soundly throughout their plans and was selected for this CIRCA case study due to the quality of their responses from city staff responsible for such projects, and further for the applicatory nature of their climate work to other municipalities

Energy Resilience for Connecticut Municipalities

Inforgraphic on CT Public Act 20-5 which defines resilience as “the ability to prepare for and adapt to changing conditions and withstand and recover rapidly from deliberate attacks, accidents or naturally occurring threats or incidents, including, but not limited to, threats or incidents associated with the impacts of climate change.”

Minimum Lot Size Reduction & Resilience Factsheet

Minimum Lot Size zoning codes require developable land parcels to be a minimum size per home in residential areas. In Connecticut, a study by Desegregate CT found that 81% of residential zoned land
required minimum lot sizes of one-acre or larger. Learn more with this factsheet.

Maximum Lot Coverage Factsheet

Maximum Lot Coverage is a regulatory tool to limit the maximum area of a lot allowed to be covered by impervious surfaces, where water cannot effectively infiltrate the underlying soil. Impervious surfaces include buildings, driveways, parking areas, and other surfaces like patios, pools, sheds, roof overhangs and decks that block water from passing through to the soil below. Learn more with this factsheet.

Ten Steps to Municipal Resilience Factsheet

CIRCA created a fact sheet that describes ìTen Steps for Municipal Resilienceî to help CT towns and cities adapt to the effects of climate change. The fact sheet identifies these specific actions that communities can take to address both immediate climate impacts and ones that will take a longer time to plan and prepare for at a community-wide level. These 10 steps will help decision makers determine if they are moving their community toward resiliency.

Transferable Development Rights Factsheet

TDRs have the potential to shift development away from vulnerable areas like shorelines and towards preferred inland areas. Currently, TDRs are mainly used nationally by municipalities for agricultural or open space preservation. Learn more with this factsheet.

Transit Oriented Development for a more Resilient CT Factsheet

Connecticutís transit-oriented development (TOD) efforts have been ongoing for a decade, but face implementation challenges. This research analyzed the current obstacles to TOD implementation in Connecticut while also evaluating the vulnerability of the Metro-North mainline and its associated TOD to sea level rise. We took a mixed-methods approach, reviewing the townsí existing TOD plans, interviewing 13 stakeholders, analyzing the street network in station areas and analyzing parcel and rail line vulnerability with CIRCAís mapping of the 1% annual exceedance probability flood with the addition of 20î of sea-level rise by 2050.

Identifying the Change in Heat Vulnerability and Land-use Influence Factsheet

Extreme heat and cold are among the leading causes of climate vulnerability in the United States due to potential impacts on human health and well-being. In particular, residents in Connecticut are less acclimatized to the heat, which could signify a higher risk for heat-related diseases during extreme weather events. The occurrence of heat islands due to urbanization produces relatively warmer air temperatures near the ground, which makes urban and sub-urban areas warmer in comparison to rural areas. This project aims to identify variations in air and surface temperature over time and their linkages to land cover and land-use changes. The outcomes of this project are critical to support local decision-makers in determining the thermal vulnerability of local communities in the Resilient Connecticut project. The project will encompass the state of Connecticut with an emphasis in New Haven and Fairfield County areas.†