Resilience

Climate change has the potential to have major impacts on infrastructure and environmental assets in urban, suburban, and rural communities. Those assets are most directly threatened by the increased frequency and intensity of rain storms and heatwaves, which often lead to flooding and power outages, respectively. Completing assessments, utilizing resiliency tools, and applying best management practices are essential for protecting a community and region’s infrastructure and environmental assets.

 Minimum Requirements:

• None.

 Get More Out of Your Plan: 

• The increased frequency and intensity of large rain storms may require additional on-site capacity to manage stormwater, and off-site infiltration and storage to free capacity on stormwater conveyance systems. A failure to effectively manage capacity for stormwater conveyance systems may lead to sewer overflows and flooding at wastewater treatment facilities. 

  • Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) – Stormwater Manual

  • MN GreenStep Cities – Protecting Water Supply and Wastewater Treatment Facilities

  • MN GreenStep Cities – Infrastructure Stress Transparency Tool: Wastewater Treatment, Sewer, and Drinking Water

  • Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) – Sustainable Water Infrastructure

• Roadway, bridge, and airport infrastructure are in a unique position where climate change mitigation as well as adaptation practices should and can be applied. Our roadways are ground-zero for our automobile greenhouse gas emissions, which are a major driver in climate change. More frequent and larger rain storms, a bi-product of climate change, then pose a risk to major transportation corridors and nodes, such as airports. A critical component of resilience planning is not only the performance of vulnerability and adaptation assessments to protect and ensure the continued movement of people and supplies during large rain storms for adaptation purposes, but also the implementation of policies like “Complete Streets” or “Living Streets” to mitigate for greenhouse gas emissions and surface runoff. 

  • Roads & Bridges, Bloomington, MN – Green Streets for Blue Waters, MN GreenStep Cities – Living Streets Best Practice Actions, Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) – Flash Flood Vulnerability & Adaptation Pilot Project, U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration – Renewable Energy in Highway Right-of-Way

  • Airports, Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) – Energy Conservation Program, Build Sustainably, Association of Bay Area Governments, Resilience Program - Airport and Infrastructure Resilience, Oakland Airport Focus Area Shoreline Resilience Planning and Adapting to Rising Tides Project​

• A dense and diverse community tree portfolio will build up resilience to climate change, as well as help mitigate urban heat island effect. Effective applications of landscaping, shoreland, wetland, inland waterways, and prairie land reclamation best management practices greatly assist in erosion control, improved soil quality, improved air quality, and improved water quality. Properly applied conservation, pollinator, and biodiversity plans provide ecological resilience against the spread of invasive species that come with higher annual temperatures. 

  • Water, MPCA - Guidance Manual for Assessing the Quality of MN Surface Waters for Determination of Impairment, City of Hutchinson, MN – Local Surface Water Management Plan (Dec 2015), MN Department of Agriculture (MDA) – The MN Water Management Framework

  • Tree Canopy, i-Tree: Tools for Assessing and Managing Forests & Community Trees, MN Shade Tree Advisory committee (MnSTAC) - The Problem, Cost, & Solution for Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), UMN Center for Urban and Regional Affairs – Money Does Grow on Trees: Investing in the City of Ramsey’s Streetside Urban Forest

  • Air, MPCA - Air Quality Dispersion Modeling (AQDM) Tool

  • Soil, MN Board of Water & Soil Resources - Climate Change Trends and Action Report, Urban Conservation Practices – Carver County Rain Gardens and Shoreline Restorations, Norman County – Wetland Restoration of Farmland Susceptible to Flooding

  • Pollinators & Prairie Lands, MN Department of Natural Resources (MnDNR) - Pollinator BMP and Habitat Restoration Guidelines, Minnesota Pollinator Resources, Prairie Establishment & Maintenance Technical Guidance for Solar Projects, MN State Agency – Pollinator Annual Report

  • Biodiversity & Landscaping, MnDNR - MN Scientific and Natural Areas Program – Biodiversity, MN Board of Water and Soil Resources - Landscape Resiliency Toolbox – Strategies and tools to Increase Resiliency to climate Change and other Stressors

  • Wetlands & Shorelands, MN Board of Water and Soil Resources – Wetland Resiliency Calculator, Conservation Implementation – Native Vegetation/Seed, MnDNR - Shoreland Management – Restore Your Shore Tool

 We Can Help!

• We have additional guidance for other infrastructure resilience issues and opportunities in the plan elements for  Water Resources (surface, drinking, wastewater), Transportation (roads, transit, ped/bike/aviation), and Parks & Trails.

• Give your Sector Rep a call to discuss ideas.

Resilient energy infrastructure and reduced energy and water use enhances reliability of the electricity grid while mitigating climate change impacts. Local governments in the seven-county metropolitan area are required by state law to include an element in their Plan for protection and development of access to direct sunlight for solar energy systems. Given the availability of new data, our ability to measure solar as a resource has improved. Subsequently, communities will need to provide data, maps, and policies for the protection and development of solar resources in their plan updates.

 Minimum Requirements:

• Solar Resource Protection: Include your community’s Minnesota Solar Suitability Analysis Map. This is available on your Community Page.

• Solar Resource Protection: Include calculations of your community’s gross solar and rooftop solar resource. This is available on your Community Page.

• Solar Resource Development: Include a policy or policies relating to the development of access to direct sunlight for solar energy systems.

• Solar Resource Development: Include strategies needed to implement the policy or policies.

• Consider implementing policy options contained in the Georgetown Climate Center report, “MN Options to Increase Climate Resilience in Buildings.”

• Explore including supportive goals and policies for capturing your community’s energy efficiency resources through encouraging sustainable building design, such as Saint Paul’s Sustainable Building policy. 

• Consider establishing a formal collaboration with an energy utility as an implementation step, similar to the Clean Energy Partnership in Minneapolis or participating in the Partners in Energy initiative with Xcel Energy program. 

• Explore adopting a commercial building benchmarking ordinance such as has been implemented by the City of Minneapolis.

• Consider Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) as an implementation tool in your Plan. PACE is a financing tool that allows property owners to access competitive private financing through a partnership with local governments and the St. Paul Port Authority. Building owners who use PACE financing for their energy improvements pay back the financing through property taxes, as a voluntary special assessment. Consult the Authority about Joint Powers Agreement opportunities. 

• Review Minnesota Housing’s “Home Fix Up Fund” to address weatherization and energy conservation in existing buildings.

• Utilize policy and implementation tools in developing local energy systems from the Minnesota Local Government Project for Energy Planning (LoGoPEP), including an energy planning guide and workbook for the 2040 comprehensive planning process, a sample city climate resilience request for proposal, an example analysis of energy existing conditions documenting a city’s energy use profile and available energy resources, and a solar energy calculator to assist in setting solar energy development goals. 

• ​Benchmark your own efforts with the City of St. Louis Park, which successfully adopted an Energy Action Plan through an energy planning process conducted by Xcel Energy. The process included residents and business owners and developed goals and strategies to increase community efforts around sustainable energy.

 We Can Help!

• Access your Community Page to find solar maps and calculations. We’ve provided this information for you. 

• If you want to know more about the Solar Resource Protection requirement maps and calculations, we have created a Factsheet for you.

• ​If you want to know more about the Solar Resource Development requirement model policies and strategies, we have created a Factsheet for you.

• Watch our PlanIt webinar entitled “Comprehensive Planning for Solar Energy Systems”. The webinar details specific statutory requirements, solar market conditions and trends, and policies and implementation strategies for solar planning.

• Check out Mahtomedi’s summarized Resilience and Sustainability vision and policies from its 2040 draft plan. 

• If you would like to learn more about what other local communities are doing, please contact your Sector Rep.

The health and welfare of residents is a priority for all cities. Fostering healthy communities through better food choices, complete streets, and advocating for active living can strengthen a population and reduce the impact of climate related events. Resiliency issues and opportunities related to healthy community transportation (Healthy Environment, Bicycling and Walking) and access to recreation and green space (Regional and Local Parks and Trails) are addressed in the Transportation and Parks elements of the Local Planning Handbook.

 Minimum Requirements:

• None

• Consider how your community could prepare for the health vulnerabilities to climate change identified in the Minnesota Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment prepared by the Minnesota Department of Health.

• ​Consult GreenStep Cities best practices #11, #12, #16, #23, and #27 regarding Healthy Community for goals and strategies that can be incorporated into your Plan. 

• The urban heat island effect is a specific climate adaptation health risk that can be addressed in your plan. This effect can increase temperatures several degrees higher than the less developed areas around them and can affect communities by increasing summertime peak energy demand, air conditioning costs, air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, heat-related illness and mortality, and water quality. Explore opportunities to integrate EPA heat island mitigation strategies into your local comprehensive plan, education and engagement efforts, and other plans and ordinances.

• Offering views of greenery can help reduce stress levels and provide a connection to nature Explore how to reserve sightlines and views of greenery (e.g., Mississippi River, lakes, bluffs, etc.) from public, residential and commercial buildings with the Minnesota Healthy Planning: How-To Guide (pages 68-69).

• Consider expansion and maintenance of vegetated open space and green infrastructure installation to improve water quality and manage stormwater, like the City of Maplewood.

• Learn how to eliminate food deserts and ensure that your community has reliable access to healthy, safe, and affordable food with the Minnesota Food Charter Food Access Planning Guide. 

• Residents who can easily and comfortably move on foot in their neighborhoods tend to get more physical activity and feel safer. Conduct a walkability survey to gauge how mobile the conditions of your area are

• ​Consider conducting a Health Impact Assessment (HIA) of your existing plan as part of the development of your 2040 plan, like the City of St. Louis Park.

• Use the Comprehensive Planning for a Healthy Community Checklist Tool to help determine what health-supporting policies already exist in your comprehensive plan, and what policies you should consider.

 We Can Help!

• A 2040 draft plan example from the City of Osseo uses health priorities and outcomes as a focus throughout all chapters of the plan. Previous plan examples from Hopkins and Roseville may help you address this section of your plan.

• Do you want to consider alternative outreach formats, but are not sure where to start? Give your Sector Rep a call about ideas.

A diverse local economy that strategically uses local resources is less vulnerable to economic volatility and regional or global recession. Minimizing exposure of city budgets to the risk of property value fluctuations or development cycles will help cities be better prepared for circumstances beyond normal operations. In addition, socially cohesive and engaged communities are better positioned to respond to natural and economic crises. Planning for regular engagement with residents and businesses, and measuring progress toward goals (and communicating progress to residents) will help create a strong network during and after critical weather or environmental events or economic crises. In addition, integrating hazard mitigation into the local comprehensive plan establishes resilience as an overarching community value to avoid increased hazard vulnerability by guiding future growth and development away from areas with known hazards (e.g. increasing flood plain size, steep slopes, etc.) or otherwise finding solutions to address them.

 Minimum Requirements:

• None

• Consider alternatives to the traditional planning and public outreach process. Ideas include morning meetings, childcare, venues which are already gathering locations/events, social media, “meeting in a box”, on-line resources.

• GreenStep City Best practice #24, Benchmarks and Community Engagement, provides best practices examples of how communities can set benchmarks, measure progress, communicate to residents and businesses, and foster a trust relationship with people in the community through communication and engagement. 

• The Government Alliance on Race and Equity offer resources and trainings in meaningful, equitable, engagement. Voices for Racial Justice have put together a very concise Racial Equity Impact Assessment Pocket Guide for use in decision-making and implementation to ensure equitable outcomes. 

• Consider planning for the most vulnerable of your population in all aspects of the comprehensive plan, as climate can have varying impacts on vulnerable populations such as elderly, young, and impoverished populations. The Minnesota Department of Health’s Public Health Data Access Portal is a great starting point for accessing health information. Headwaters Economics has produced a Populations at Risk tool for identifying vulnerable populations in your community. The Georgetown Climate Center’s newly launched Adaptation Equity Portal offers resources for equity-focused community resilience work.

• Many local governments have a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) approved hazard mitigation plan to be eligible for federal disaster mitigation assistance funds. Consider integrating your hazard mitigation plan into your comprehensive plan to help you assess your community’s vulnerabilities and incorporate resiliency into your plans. FEMA’s fact sheet called Integrating Hazard Mitigation into the Comprehensive Plan provides a good starting point. 

• Additional GreenStep Cities best practices that address the Economy and Society component of community resiliency include Best Practice #25 Green Business Development, #27 Local Food, and #28 Business Synergies.  

• If approached sensitively, the redevelopment of blighted brownfield areas can transform the local economy and society. The Brownfield Health Indicator Tool, developed by Minnesota Department of Health and Minnesota Brownfields can provide a best practice template for how to approach challenging redevelopment opportunities.

• The collaborative project Risky Business highlights and quantifies the economic cost of climate change in the US.

• Two strong frameworks for guiding and executing an overall Climate Change Assessment for a community are the Saint Paul-Ramsey County Public Health Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment and the MN Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment. The EPA’s Climate Change Adaptation Resource Center (ARC-X) walks through the MN Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment process and provides applicable EPA tools.

• Check out some Plan Examples from Golden Valley and Woodbury that may help you address this section of your plan.

• Give your Sector Rep a call to discuss ideas.