Coastal Urban Flooding: Drowning Cities, Rising Vulnerability

The APA’s International Division is proud to partner with APA to organize and host the APA World Town Planning Day, a one-day virtual conference that brings together hundreds of U.S. and international planners from all over the world.  Centering on international dialogue, APA World Town Planning Day presents the valuable opportunity for Planners in the United States to explore global planning methodologies and lessons learned, and the potential for application in their own cities and communities. This year’s theme, Think Global, Plan Local, explored the central role of the planning profession in local climate action and implementation of global sustainable development goals. 

Course Details

Recorded at the 2022 World Town Planning Day, this course explores how to enact inclusive climate action and plan for climate adaptation and mitigation in ways that improve development sustainability and social inequalities. Cities are particularly vulnerable to floods due to their high concentration of people and assets, as well as their proximity to rivers and coasts. The poor and vulnerable often bear the brunt of floods and other natural disasters, due to living in vulnerable areas and having limited assets to recover from flood events.  

Hosted by the APA International Division's Climate & Sustainability Working Group, speakers present case studies from Indonesia, the Netherlands, and the United States. 

Learning Outcomes 

• Learn ways to enact equitable climate action in vulnerable communities. 
• Hear how communities in the Netherlands, Indonesia and the United States incorporate nature-based solutions for resilience, increase economic development and improve public health.  
• Understand the benefits of using hybrid structures for multipurpose flood protection. 

This course qualifies for AICP Sustainability and Resilience CM credit through the coverage of Natural and Nature-Based Solutions for Resilience and Strategies Advancing S&R topic/s. The APA Education Committee has reviewed and approved this course as important to enhancing a planner’s skillset as they prepare to both act now and plan for the future.