Upskilling Planners for Climate Impacts
Informing Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies Through Expert Input

As the effects of climate change become more frequent and severe, there exists an ever-growing need to prepare communities for detrimental outcomes. Planners are in a unique position to achieve effective mitigation and adaptation strategies, though this is not a traditional area of expertise for many of them.
APA's longtime partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) intersects with our Upskilling initiative to help identify emerging topics and skills that will aid planners in hazard mitigation and climate adaptation. Though a literature review formed the foundation of this research, the most critical source of knowledge came from an advisory panel of approximately 25 subject matter experts that convened three times to provide insights into the evolving needs of these fields.
The goal of selecting participants for the panel was to gather as holistic a perspective as possible on potential impacts to mitigation and adaptation. Consequently, these members work in both the public and private sectors, some have expertise in planning while others work with technology or hard science. The array of backgrounds represented in the panel helps to limit any topics that may be relevant to hazard planning but which may not be traditionally encapsulated by it.
Brainstorming Areas of Focus
The first objective of the panel was to brainstorm topics that are either new to planners' work or whose presence in their work has been newly amplified, indicating that some significant change in that area was taking place. A list of 23 topics was ultimately generated from this discussion, with inputs ranging from challenges with insurance coverage to amending planning school programs to be more encompassing of hazards.
The second meeting of the panel focused on prioritizing the existing topics according to how impactful they are or could be to hazards and adaptation planning, and how prepared planners are to contend with them. Topics that are ranked as high impact and low preparedness were the ones that were considered moving forward.
Once similar topics were grouped, the resulting prioritized results were: equity, diversity, and inclusion in planning; new methodologies and approaches to planning; and climate migration and insurance strategies.

The panel focused on prioritizing topics according to impact and preparation.
Narrowing In On Skills
The final step for the panel was to take the topics that had been prioritized and generate a list of associated skills that would be needed to address those challenges, but which could also be applicable elsewhere. Predominately, panel members raised the need to develop skills surrounding data (identifying, understanding, and applying it), language (communicating topics to different audiences), and financial literacy and advocacy.

The panel took the prioritized topics and generated a list of associated skills that would be needed to address those challenges.
Conclusion
The results of these three meetings will inform APA's recommendations to FEMA regarding the future of mitigation and adaptation planning. More detailed results will be published this year, so be sure to stay updated on APA's upcoming communications.
Much of our work is informed by panels and work groups such as this one, so if you have any interest in being considered for a future iteration, please contact us at scatenacci@planning.org.
Top image: iStock/Getty Images Plus - the picthing. California drought under New Melones Bridge.
About the author