Great Lakes Adaptation Assessments–Cities (GLAA-C)

From 2011-2014, the Great Lakes Adaptation Assessment for Cities (GLAA-C), an Integrated Assessment project supported by the Graham Sustainability Institute and the Kresge Foundation, worked with cities throughout the Great Lakes region to better understand the challenges municipalities face when dealing with climate change. The project also helped develop and implement a variety of adaptation strategies throughout the region. The lessons learned from interacting with these cities can be found in the case study links below. For more information on the completed Integrated Assessment project GLAA-C, click here.

In addition to the work in Ann Arbor and Flint, GLISA provided climate data and analysis central to the development of a new resource, the Cities Impact and Adaptation Tool (CIAT). CIAT
is designed to help municipal decision makers identify and engage communities currently facing projected climate impacts for their city. The tool includes historical and projected climate information along with a database of more than 500 climate adaptation strategies.

• CIAT
• Climate Videos

GLISA and the University of Michigan Climate Center are continuing many efforts piloted by the GLAA-C project to help cities adapt to climate change. Learn more about these efforts here.

Project Contact:

Jenna Jorns, GLAA-C Project Manager, GLISA Program Manager, Ann Arbor, Michigan

Project Accomplishments

Project efforts included working with multiple cities and developing city climate fact sheets.  The initial set of cities included Ann Arbor and Flint (Michigan), Dayton and Toledo (Ohio), and Kingston and Thunder Bay (Ontario). Ann Arbor and Flint stood out as two cities that share geographic proximity but dramatically different socio-economic conditions. Work in Ann Arbor led to the creation and deployment of videos addressing climate change impacts on the city, actions that the city is taking to regarding these impacts, and actions individuals could engage in. In Flint, a community beset by economic decline and decreasing population, GLISA and GLAA-C collaborated with the City Planning Office. This collaboration led to the City incorporating accurate climate information in the Master Planning Process, including climate- resilient policies in the forthcoming zoning and building code review.

Research Findings