Mitigate and adapt to urban shocks and stresses.
By integrating the economic and social benefits of resilience into projects, policies, and programs, we enable communities to transform existing systems and increase impactful outcomes in the face of dynamic challenges.
EXPERTISE
Our strategic guidance helps clients prepare for, respond to, and grow from global and local challenges, focusing on the most vulnerable communities.
Build local capacity to imagine, evaluate, and execute projects
An effective project begins with an effective approach—bringing the necessary voices to the table, asking the right questions, and understanding what methods and opportunities are available. As pioneers of resilience-based thinking, we provide a proven framework and best practices to transform the way you approach projects that range from investments in public infrastructure and developing social programs to budgeting, governance, and on-the-ground response.
Design strategies that maximize the impact of interventions
Resiliency projects provide opportunities to invest in systems and create policies that last, benefiting government, businesses, non-profit organizations, and communities. HR&A quantifies the impact of possible interventions on diverse stakeholders, then designs a course of action to deliver as much value as possible.
Find feasible ways to implement your vision
HR&A recommends programmatic, financial, and development strategies that make sense for your project, creates compelling investment cases that speak to stakeholder interests and goals, and coordinates funding and governance to improve cost effectiveness and capture broad benefits for community outcomes.
SERVICES
Risk and Vulnerability Identification
Evaluate city and system vulnerabilities along with climate mitigation and adaptation needs to identify opportunities for implementation in strategic resilience and sustainability plans.
Capacity Building
Build organizational capacity through education and stakeholder engagement to prepare communities to act strategically on resilience and sustainability.
Capital Budgeting and Long Term Investments
Guide cities through budgeting and planning processes to incorporate environmental urgency into planning approaches.
City-wide Adaptation Planning
Capitalize on city planning processes to explicitly address climate adaptation and resilience as a citywide priority for physical and policy interventions.
District and Neighborhood Planning
Leverage local planning processes to explicitly address climate adaptation as a priority for physical and policy interventions.
Project Financing Strategies
Test economic feasibility and design creative funding strategies for specific projects that advance resilient infrastructure.
Green Infrastructure Planning
Analyze the hazards urban systems and infrastructure face from stormwater inundation and runoff; advise on physical, policy, and funding interventions to employ green infrastructure for risk mitigation and to generate community co-benefits.
Stormwater Management
Analyze the hazards urban systems and infrastructure face from stormwater inundation and runoff; advise on physical, policy, and funding interventions to employ green infrastructure for risk mitigation and to generate community co-benefits.
Program and Project Management
Implement and manage large-scale programs, including competitions, public space programming, civic engagement, and industry roundtables.
Organizational Design and Governance
Aid government, not-for profit, and utility clients in designing meaningful programs and public policies that incorporate diverse stakeholder perspectives and advance resilience objectives.
Policy Design & Evaluation
Develop or assess the effectiveness of changes to existing land use, building code and similar regulation of the built environment intend to support climate adaptation.
Relocation and Buyout Programs
Work with communities to develop and implement programs to help residents and businesses move from areas of higher risk to greater safety while supporting economic growth and cultural integrity.
PROJECTS
Mayors Rebuild Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
After Hurricane Maria made landfall on Puerto Rico, HR&A partnered with the Open Society Foundations to design, manage, and execute the Mayor Exchange — a peer exchange and technical assistance program to improve the capacity of and resources available to Puerto Rico’s mayors. Through the exchange, we have matched 14 mayors from the US mainland with 14 Puerto Rican mayors to create a network of support through knowledge sharing and a series of reciprocal visits. Learn More →
Climate Ready Boston
Boston, MA
A dense, coastal city partially built on tidal fill, Boston is confronting significant climate challenges. As the City planned for future growth, it wanted deeper understanding of how the changing climate would affect its future. The City of Boston and the Green Ribbon Commission engaged HR&A and a team a climate scientists, engineers, planners, and designers to create a climate adaptation plan for the city and its regional systems. Learn More →
Capacity Building for the National Disaster Resilience Competition
Nationwide
To help develop competition responses that addressed key resilience principles for the $1 billion National Disaster Resilience Competition, the Rockefeller Foundation created a capacity-building initiative for cities, counties and states and engaged HR&A to manage the process.
Climate Resiliency in the Sandy-Impacted Region
New York, NY
HR&A provides ongoing support to city, state, federal, nonprofit, and private entities as they develop projects across the northeastern United States that both promote recovery from Hurricane Sandy and make people, property and infrastructure more resilient in light of increasing hazards and vulnerabilities in the future.
Rebuild by Design
New York & New Jersey
HR&A developed winning resiliency solutions for Hurricane Sandy-affected regions through the Rebuild by Design Competition.