City of Philadelphia
At a Glance
Industry
Government/Public Administration
Project Types
Financial Evaluation and Planning, Sustainability and Energy Management Strategy
Year
2013
Location
Philadelphia, PA
Summary
Katherine Walsh performed and presented research which will help inform the City of Philadelphia of its specific risks in the face of climate change.
Goals
Katherine Walsh spent her summer as an EDF Climate Corps fellow for the City of Philadelphia. Walsh’s key task was to identify a strategy to prepare the City’s adaptation plan for climate change. Climate change will bring more frequent severe weather events that will challenge municipal operations and potentially alter quality of life in Philadelphia.
Solutions
While there, Walsh headed up research and analysis on the applicability of other cities’ adaptation plans for Philadelphia and helped to facilitate an interagency working group focused on adaptation planning. Walsh’s work entailed reviewing climate risks and adaptation strategies and identifying relevant risk and vulnerability assessment tools for Philadelphia. Additionally, Walsh also compiled Philadelphia-specific research, interviewed individuals in other cities and prepared a summary on anticipated climate change impacts from regional and locally downscaled climate data.
Potential Impact
Walsh’s final report includes key trends, challenges and areas of opportunity for further research in the early stages of adaptation planning.