Duwamish Valley Resilience District
A place-based strategy focused on climate change adaptation, community wealth building, and community stabilization.
Sand bags stacked along the edge of the Duwamish River in South Park after the flooding in December 2022. SPU installed a semi-permanent flood barrier of sandbags to help mitigate the impacts of future flood events.
Background
In 2020, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) awarded the City of Seattle a $600,000 grant to work with community partners in the Duwamish Valley on a strategy that will improve health, increase community resilience, and adapt to the impacts of a changing climate. This work will specifically deliver on key actions identified in the City-community shared Duwamish Valley Action Plan that was released in 2018.
The Resilience District work is underway! Learn more about the advisory group members and find information about recent advisory group meeting topics and notes.
Resilience District Focus Areas
Sea-level Rise
Developing a holistic sea level rise (SLR) adaptation strategy, including preferred physical infrastructure to protect the Duwamish Valley communities, in collaboration with non-City stakeholders. The team will evaluate best practices and learn from Regenerate Christchurch, Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor Regeneration Plan, in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Financing & Funding
Identifying value capture mechanisms to finance infrastructure that will protect the residential and industrial communities from expected sea-level rise impacts and fund projects that will improve health and equity outcomes The team will to evaluate best practices and learn from the Água Espraiada Joint Urban Operation, in São Paulo, Brazil
Organizational Development
Establishing a shared decision-making framework that centers the voices and needs of BIPOC and low-income individuals and industries most affected by sea-level rise. We will evaluate best practices and learn from the Proyecto ENLACE del Caño Martin Peña in San Juan, Puerto Rico. ENLACE provides an excellent model where a municipality established a special planning district that enters into a formal partnership with a nonprofit coalition to ensure the participation of residents in decision-making processes.