URBAN CLIMATE STRATEGIES

Products include Strategic Advice; Climate Plans, Visioning Studies and Urban Analysis

‘Greening the city’ was initially understood as implementing strategies to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases. But increasingly, climate plans take a broader approach. The second target of greening the city is ‘climate proofing'; i.e. dealing with the consequences of climate change. Changes in the climate are seen as immanent, so cities have to protect themselves against their implications. And the most recent Climate Plans assume an even wider approach; community participation, economic development strategies and other areas of urban policy are being integrated into climate plans. Increasingly, Climate Plans are becoming overarching strategic development instruments. 

Urban Progress is currently making a systematic analysis of Climate Plans in the US and Europe. The study supports the Urban Progress team in providing strategic advice on urban climate strategies. The team further builds on Luc Vrolijks’s expertise in Dutch integrated planning strategies, in water management practices and the climate risk reduction strategies that he helped develop for the United Nations in the 1990's. Urban Progress Design works with some of the key experts in sustainable development and renewable energy concepts. 

Urban Progress can provide cities with strategic advice on urban climate, can develop and review climate plans and can provide strategic design studies for climate proofing and other urban climate strategies. Urban Progress is keen to help safeguard US coastal cities and towns in climate proofing for improved resilience to rising sea levels and heightened storm surge impacts. Urban Progress Design expects to work with Universities, Think Tanks, International organizations and others to further develop urban climate strategies. 

Design competition for the Gateway National Park: a proposal to 're-invent' New York's lower bay to make it more climate proof