There is a tremendous amount of work going on to build climate resilience, and it is all necessary. Sustainable Hudson Valley focuses on the social and relational, and the role of public spaces in building neighborhood scale resilience. While public agencies properly concentrate on major areas of environmental risk like shorelines and floodplains, there is an urgent need to help communities plan to withstand climate stresses including storms, floods and heat waves. This work is needed in every neighborhood. The only way to accomplish this is to train many local leaders to drive the necessary changes in their neighborhoods and networks.

This work has two key dimensions, urban design and community engagement to develop leadership for implementing local visions. 

• Trainees will learn techniques and models from the most advanced communities in building resilience, quality of life, public health and social justice.

• The training will be facilitated by SHV’s Resilient Places Coordinator Cynthia Nikitin.  Cynthia has 28 years experience with the Project for Public Spaces, working internationally and hyper-locally to promote resilience and equity through the redesign of key public spaces in neighborhoods, waterfronts, campuses and commercial districts so they serve multiple community purposes.

• Two in-person sessions will be supplemented by readings, a hands-on project assignment and personal mentoring.

• The audience for this program is local government and neighborhood leaders including planning, public works and community development staff, Climate Smart and Clean Energy Community committees, Conservation Advisory Councils, Planning Boards, and leaders/ staff in institutions such as libraries, service agencies and community foundations.

• Contact Everett@sustainhv.org for more information.

Suggested donation of $75. Nobody is turned away.

Session dates:

New trainings will be scheduled at least quarterly, please check back.

To make a donation, click here: Donate

Please donate $75 – more if you can – and designate “resilience training.”