One Block at a Time: Addressing Erie's Water Challenges through Community Visioning

 

 

 

Register for listening session 1

About the Project

 

Pennsylvania Sea Grant, the Community Resilience Action Network of Erie (CRANE) and other local partners are working together to create neighborhoods and communities that are resilient to climate challenges such as flooding, high winds, and blizzards.

Through a series of listening and planning sessions, the project team will work with the community to discuss local challenges, barriers, and potential solutions for Erie’s neighborhoods.

The “One Block” concept is part of a broader partnership to increase community resilience across the Great Lakes. Three Sea Grant programs (Illinois-Indiana Sea GrantMinnesota Sea Grant, and Pennsylvania Sea Grant) will form a multi-community work team to address climate hazards in Michigan City and Hammond, Indiana; Duluth, Minnesota; and Erie, Pennsylvania, respectively.

The project is broken out into three phases: 

Phase 1: Background Assessment

This phase included compiling a summary of existing documents, geographic and demographic data, reports, city plans and previous related project findings on climate change, flooding, and vulnerable communities in Erie, Pennsylvania. The background assessment phase also included work with Penn State landscape students to create hazard visualizations of the Lake Erie shoreline. 

Phase 2: Community Visioning

The second phase of the project involves multiple community listening sessions with community leaders and members to allow for co-learning about community needs, selection of the One Block implementation site, and collaborative visioning of a resilient neighborhood. 

Phase 3: Implementation

 The final phase of the project will be to identify a One Block pilot project at a high priority location in Erie County. Additional funding will support implementation of a additional climate resilient projects such as inclusion of green stormwater infrastructure, tree plantings, community gardens, or other projects as identified by the One Block team. 

21 June 2023

Climate-Ready Listening Session

Join Pennsylvania Sea Grant and CRANE on June 21, 2023, to discuss community needs on climate and water challenges, solutions, and barriers. Participants will be compensated $20/hour for their time.