Resilient Cities Catalyst partnered with Chatham County and Georgia Conservancy through the Climate Smart Communities Initiative to co-develop an ambitious, forward-looking agenda that lays the foundation for a stronger, more resilient future for the County.
By articulating a clear vision for the County's climate resilience work across a diverse set of shocks and stresses, departments, and jurisdictions, the Resilience Roadmap is set to serve as a galvanizing force providing purpose and direction for implementing departments and community partners.
The Problem
Chatham County is at an exciting and critical inflection point. A combination of rapid population and job growth coupled with intensifying climate risks and growing economic inequality means the decisions being made today will shape the community for generations. These challenges are not occurring in isolation: they interact and compound, impacting ecosystems, infrastructure, housing, public health, and the local economy, underscoring the need for a coordinated strategy for strengthening the County's resilience today and into the future.
Intended Outcomes
The Roadmap aims to support and strengthen resilience efforts the County has already started, get stalled efforts moving, bring existing programs into alignment so they work better together, and develop new ideas to fill gaps that existing efforts don’t address.
The four flagship initiatives developed through the Roadmap process will be primed to launch after publication and the Roadmap will serve as a prospectus for future funding opportunities.
Our Work Streams
- Plan Review: The team reviewed 15 current plans and vision documents for Chatham County and the Coastal Georgia region, cataloguing resilience-relevant actions in a Living Initiatives Database that shaped the Roadmap's structure and priorities.
- Shocks and Stresses Analysis: The team analyzed data on the priority shocks and stresses facing Chatham County, from flooding and extreme heat to housing affordability and inadequate infrastructure, to build a comprehensive picture of the County's resilience challenges.
- Stakeholder and Community Engagement: Through one-on-ones, listening sessions, a public survey, and an EngagePage – and drawing on input from more than 2,000 residents gathered through recent planning processes – the team grounded the Roadmap in the lived experience of community members, service providers, and County staff.
- Gap Analysis: The team overlaid data from the plan review and Living Initiatives Database with community input to identify opportunities to build on existing efforts and explore new actions the County can take.
- Flagship Initiative Development: Through a series of roundtables with County staff the team developed four ambitious, multi-year initiatives designed to close critical gaps, deliver near-term results, and build long-term resilience for Chatham County residents.
Impact Numbers
1
resilience roadmap
4
flagship initiatives
16
action areas
Key Findings
Cross-departmental roundtables gave the County's resilience program its first hearing before department heads and the Board. That visibility, more than new data, created the opening for the Commission relaunch.