An estimated 1.8 billion people currently live at risk of flooding from rivers, rising sea levels and storms. Flooding, often exacerbated by climate change, is one of the largest-scale disasters impacting cities, and is particularly a threat for vulnerable communities across the global South and North. Urban flooding exemplifies many of the toughest challenges facing cities and governance processes that engage and include all voices in co-creating plans and implementation is essential.
Columbia World Projects (CWP), in collaboration with the Columbia Climate School, the Columbia Water Center, the Center for Resilient Cities and Landscapes, and the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, facilitated a two-day meeting to discuss strategies to advance inclusive models for flooding adaptation and water governance.
“This was a special group of people and it was a privilege to be a part of these conversations," noted Peter Twyman, Deputy Director of Projects at Columbia World Projects. "This meeting served as a reminder that we need to approach the difficult work of water governance with our heads, hands, and hearts. The knowledge gained through this convening will undoubtedly help guide the future work of all who participated."
The At the Water’s Edge discussion brought together Columbia University faculty, Obama Foundation Scholars, undergraduate Social Impact Fellows, practitioners from government, firms, community organizations and artists. A full list of participants can be found here. The group discussed experiences where local governance for water and land climate adaptation practices shift towards equity, climate planning and policy shifts, research pathways connected to local action, and ways for CWP and its partners to catalyze change and innovation.
Participants underscored the urgency to act, and act in ways inclusive of those most affected by water governance decisions. Themes raised include the value in exchanging organizing tactics between networks in enduring ways, the need to capture contexts and stories that include local voices, and advancing a new approach to ownership and stewardship for bodies of water and lands adjacent to water.
The convening is part of a broader engagement on urban governance and inclusion around flooding led by CWP and its partners. An event marking the tenth anniversary of Hurricane Sandy in New York immediately followed At Waters Edge. Together with with the Center for Resilient Cities and Landscapes at the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation; Columbia Climate School, the Center for Sustainable Urban Development, Environmental Justice and Climate Just Cities Network, Resilient Cities Catalyst, and the Red Hook Initiative, conversations reflected on equity outcomes and lessons learned in the post-hurricane period. The recordings can be watched here.
This work builds on CWP’s efforts to connect research and practice that rethink governance, including projects on ‘Southern Urbanisms’, Delta Cities, democratic participation, and disaster response and recovery. A report on the deliberations will highlight key takeaways from these meetings, provide examples of key themes and exemplary case studies from around the globe, and inform CWP’s next steps for connecting knowledge to action on inclusive water governance.