Building Resilience Through Collaboration Between Grassroots Citizen Groups and Governments: Two Case Studies

Abstract

As sea level rise grows in importance as a public policy issue, coastal communities must search for alternative strategies to develop resilience to the growing threat. One way to tap into existing resources involves partnerships between local governments and citizen-based environmental organizations to explore strategies aimed at mitigating the effects of sea level rise and recurrent flooding in coastal communities. This article presents two cases of collaboration between governments and existing citizen groups in a region among the most threatened by sea level rise in the continental United States—Hampton Roads, Virginia. We find that these efforts are quite effective in developing and implementing low-cost mitigation strategies that can protect infrastructure while applying social capital to serve as a bridge between citizens and government.

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